{"id":5494,"date":"2026-06-24T21:31:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T21:31:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=5494"},"modified":"2026-06-24T21:31:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T21:31:28","slug":"17-states-take-california-to-court-over-plastic-packaging-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=5494","title":{"rendered":"17 states take California to court over plastic packaging rules"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/figure>\n article<\/span><\/div>

FILE-Pedestrians in Chinatown carrying single-use plastic bags on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (Myung J. Chun \/ Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)<\/span> <\/p>

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A group of 17 states have sued California to block the enforcement of a strict recycling law centered on reducing plastic packaging waste.\u00a0<\/p>

The lawsuit, obtained by The Associated Press, argues that California\u2019s finalized rules that will slowly require organizations to cut back on single-use plastics, while making sure all packaging is recycled or compostable should be struck down.\u00a0<\/p>

Meanwhile, the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, which represents organizations that import and distribute goods in California, also joined the lawsuit.\u00a0<\/p>

<\/div>

States sued California over plastic packaging rules\u00a0<\/h2>

Dig deeper:<\/p>

The Associated Press reported that joining Nebraska in the lawsuit were 16 other states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.<\/p>

Environmental groups also have sued over the California law. A group that included the Natural Resources Defense Council recently filed a complaint over what it said in a news release were “weakened” final regulations for the “landmark” law.<\/p>

The lawsuit argues the law violates both the U.S. and California constitutions. It asks the court to declare California’s law invalid and unenforceable and halt its implementation.<\/p>

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The lawsuit names as defendants Zoe Heller, director of California’s recycling agency known as CalRecycle, and the Circular Action Alliance, a nonprofit involved with implementing the law.<\/p>

What is the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act?<\/h2>

The backstory:<\/p>

The Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act was passed in 2022 by California Gov. Gavin Newsom.\u00a0<\/p>

This legislation was designed to substantially lower single-use plastic packaging in California and boost recycling rates. It sets the nation\u2019s strictest requirements for the use of plastic packaging.<\/p>

Furthermore, plastic producers would have to reduce plastics in single-use products by 10% by 2027, increasing to 25% by 2032. That limit in plastic packaging can be met through lowering package sizing, transitioning to a different material or making the product easily reusable or refillable.\u00a0<\/p>

And by 2032, plastic would have to be recycled at a rate of 65%, and it wouldn\u2019t apply to plastic beverage bottles, which have their own recycling rules.\u00a0<\/p>

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\u00a0<\/p> <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A coalition of states is suing California to block a sweeping recycling law, claiming its strict plastic waste regulations would force businesses nationwide to overhaul their products and operations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5492,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[101,45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5494","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-california","category-environment"],"yoast_head":"\n17 states take California to court over plastic packaging rules - Houston Moving Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=5494\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"17 states take California to court over plastic packaging rules - 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