Key California law on recycling symbols on plastic containers is blocked by federal judge

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Set us as preferred A federal judge has halted California’s groundbreaking “Truth in Recycling” law, which aims to reduce consumer confusion about which packaging can be recycled.California’s recyclable packaging law prohibits manufacturers from using a “chasing arrows” recycling symbol on products or materials unless they are actually being recycled in a meaningful way, which the law quantifies.The bill was signed by Gov.

Gavin Newsom in 2021 and was to go into effect on Oct.4.

A coalition of farming, forestry, restaurant and packaging organizations sued the state in March, arguing the law violates their right to free speech.They argued that Senate Bill 343 operates as “government-imposed censorship.” Judge William Hayes agreed that their challenge has merit, and on Tuesday ordered California Atty.

Gen.Rob Bonta, the defendant in the case, to pause enforcement of the law “until further order of the Court.”The industry trade groups, which include the Dairy Institute of California, the Flexible Packaging Assn.

and the Western Growers Assn., applauded the decision.The coalition “will continue to press the case that California can strengthen recycling without censoring truthful information on packaging and without adding unnecessary and significant costs for California families and businesses,” Californians for Affordable Packaging said in a statement.The “ruling is a significant win, not just for our members, but for every business that wants to give consumers accurate information about the products they buy,” said Julie Landry, vice president of government affairs at the American Forest & Paper Assn.“The Court recognized what we’ve said from the beginning: California cannot fix consumer confusion by restricting truthful speech.”Advocates of reducing the use of plastic disagreed.“The c...