"Leash Your Lid" law to attach plastic bottle caps to the bottle passes from environmental committee
California Political Desk
April 24, 2009
SACRAMENTO – Assembly Bill 925, legislation that would prohibit the sale of single-use plastic beverage containers unless the cap is affixed to the bottle, has passed from the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources.
The bill´s author, Assembly Member Lori Saldaña (D-San Diego), said plastic bottle cap litter poses a significant environmental hazard and prevents a non-renewable resource from entering the recycling infrastructure.
"Plastic bottle caps are a growing and persistent part of the marine litter problem and a serious danger to marine life," Saldaña said. "Leashing lids will keep them out of the ocean and get them into recycling centers."
According to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, marine debris has become a serious problem along shorelines, coastal waters, estuaries and oceans worldwide. An estimated 60-80 percent of all marine debris and 90 percent of floating debris is plastic.
Since 1989, the start of data collection for Coastal Cleanup Day, 1,044,414 bottle caps have been collected from the state´s shorelines and waterways, averaging out to nearly ten percent of all the items collected each year.
"This product is essentially defective," Saldaña said, "Part of their packaging ends up separated and becomes the problem of state and local governments that have to spend time and money recovering the lids and mitigating environmental damage."
While the bill does not go into effect until January 1, 2012, Saldaña said the industry already leashes lids on some sports drinks and water products.
"Including leashes on sodas and other plastic bottled drinks is a simple solution and won´t require a huge investment of time or research," she said. "This isn´t inventing something entirely new; it´s just expanding the use of an existing technology."
"Like the pop-tops of aluminum cans in the 1970´s, which were loose, and then became attached, we need to have a "can do" attitude with plastic beverage bottles."
The bill now moves to the full Assembly for consideration.
The bill´s author, Assembly Member Lori Saldaña (D-San Diego), said plastic bottle cap litter poses a significant environmental hazard and prevents a non-renewable resource from entering the recycling infrastructure.
"Plastic bottle caps are a growing and persistent part of the marine litter problem and a serious danger to marine life," Saldaña said. "Leashing lids will keep them out of the ocean and get them into recycling centers."
According to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, marine debris has become a serious problem along shorelines, coastal waters, estuaries and oceans worldwide. An estimated 60-80 percent of all marine debris and 90 percent of floating debris is plastic.
Since 1989, the start of data collection for Coastal Cleanup Day, 1,044,414 bottle caps have been collected from the state´s shorelines and waterways, averaging out to nearly ten percent of all the items collected each year.
"This product is essentially defective," Saldaña said, "Part of their packaging ends up separated and becomes the problem of state and local governments that have to spend time and money recovering the lids and mitigating environmental damage."
While the bill does not go into effect until January 1, 2012, Saldaña said the industry already leashes lids on some sports drinks and water products.
"Including leashes on sodas and other plastic bottled drinks is a simple solution and won´t require a huge investment of time or research," she said. "This isn´t inventing something entirely new; it´s just expanding the use of an existing technology."
"Like the pop-tops of aluminum cans in the 1970´s, which were loose, and then became attached, we need to have a "can do" attitude with plastic beverage bottles."
The bill now moves to the full Assembly for consideration.