https://www.kpbs.org/news/local/2021/10/05/california-sets-nations-strictest-rules-on-recycling-labels [svg] [ ]Search Query Show Search * News + Local + National & World + San Diego News Now Podcast + Tracking COVID-19 + All News Sections + Local + National & World + San Diego News Now Podcast + Tracking COVID-19 + All News Sections * Arts & Culture + Arts & Culture + Cinema Junkie + One Book, One San Diego + The Parker Edison Project Podcast + Port of Entry Podcast + Arts & Culture + Cinema Junkie + One Book, One San Diego + The Parker Edison Project Podcast + Port of Entry Podcast * TV & Radio + Watch KPBS On-Demand + KPBS Evening Edition + KPBS Midday Edition + KPBS News: This Week + KPBS Roundtable + Kids TV + Podcasts + Radio Reading Service + Radio Shows + Radio 89.5 Schedule + TV Schedules + TV Shows + Classical San Diego Schedule + Watch KPBS On-Demand + KPBS Evening Edition + KPBS Midday Edition + KPBS News: This Week + KPBS Roundtable + Kids TV + Podcasts + Radio Reading Service + Radio Shows + Radio 89.5 Schedule + TV Schedules + TV Shows + Classical San Diego Schedule * Support KPBS + Membership Information + KPBS Passport + Directors Club + Producers Club + Major Giving + Campaign + Vehicle Donation + Corporate Support + Other Ways to Give + Our Corporate Sponsors + Membership Information + KPBS Passport + Directors Club + Producers Club + Major Giving + Campaign + Vehicle Donation + Corporate Support + Other Ways to Give + Our Corporate Sponsors * Events + Events Calendar + Arts Calendar + Father's Day Events + Fourth of July + Submit an Event + Events Calendar + Arts Calendar + Father's Day Events + Fourth of July + Submit an Event * Watch Live * Newsletters * Voter Hub * Guia Electoral Menu [svg] Show Search [ ]Search Query Give Now Play Live Radio Next Up: 0:00 0:00 Available On Air Stations * On Air Now Playing KPBS Radio Full Schedule * On Air Now Playing Classical San Diego All Streams * News + Local + National & World + San Diego News Now Podcast + Tracking COVID-19 + All News Sections + Local + National & World + San Diego News Now Podcast + Tracking COVID-19 + All News Sections * Arts & Culture + Arts & Culture + Cinema Junkie + One Book, One San Diego + The Parker Edison Project Podcast + Port of Entry Podcast + Arts & Culture + Cinema Junkie + One Book, One San Diego + The Parker Edison Project Podcast + Port of Entry Podcast * TV & Radio + Watch KPBS On-Demand + KPBS Evening Edition + KPBS Midday Edition + KPBS News: This Week + KPBS Roundtable + Kids TV + Podcasts + Radio Reading Service + Radio Shows + Radio 89.5 Schedule + TV Schedules + TV Shows + Classical San Diego Schedule + Watch KPBS On-Demand + KPBS Evening Edition + KPBS Midday Edition + KPBS News: This Week + KPBS Roundtable + Kids TV + Podcasts + Radio Reading Service + Radio Shows + Radio 89.5 Schedule + TV Schedules + TV Shows + Classical San Diego Schedule * Support KPBS + Membership Information + KPBS Passport + Directors Club + Producers Club + Major Giving + Campaign + Vehicle Donation + Corporate Support + Other Ways to Give + Our Corporate Sponsors + Membership Information + KPBS Passport + Directors Club + Producers Club + Major Giving + Campaign + Vehicle Donation + Corporate Support + Other Ways to Give + Our Corporate Sponsors * Events + Events Calendar + Arts Calendar + Father's Day Events + Fourth of July + Submit an Event + Events Calendar + Arts Calendar + Father's Day Events + Fourth of July + Submit an Event * Watch Live * Newsletters * Voter Hub * Guia Electoral * LOCAL * NATIONAL & WORLD * NEWS SECTIONS Local California sets nation's strictest rules on recycling labels KPBS | By Don Thompson / Associated Press Published October 5, 2021 at 4:41 PM PDT * Twitter * Email California Recycling Rich Pedroncelli / AP / AP In this July 5, 2016, file photo, cans and plastic bottles brought in for recycling are seen at a recycling center in Sacramento, Calif. Californians will have a better idea of what's headed for landfills instead of recycling centers under one of several related bills that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law Tuesday. It sets the nation's strictest standards for which items can display the "chasing arrows" recycling symbol, advocates say. Consumers assume that the symbol showing three circular arrows means that items should go into curbside recycling bins, California's Statewide Commission on Recycling Markets and Curbside Recycling said earlier this year. It recommended that the symbol "be reserved for materials which are accepted in curbside bins and do not cause contamination." "It's dishonest, it's not fair to companies that have invested in actually making their products recyclable, and it's not fair to consumers who pay more for something that they think will be better for the environment," said Californians Against Waste Director of Advocacy Nick Lapis. Sorting materials that can't be recycled from bins increase garbage rates, he added. Opponents countered that the bill is so restrictive it could send more items to landfills. The state regulators' list showing what's recyclable could wind up including just eight types of paper materials, two forms of glass, two types of metals, two types of plastics and one type of colored plastic, predicted a coalition of 14 opposition organizations. The state Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery now has until Jan. 1, 2024, to publish a study on what is recyclable. The new law exempts products and packaging that is manufactured up to 18 months after the study is published. Several states have been trying to stem confusion about recycling after a Consumer Brands Association report recently found it contributed to "a broken recycling system in America." Newsom, a Democrat, also approved a bill strengthening rules for what can be used in compost to prevent contamination of the soil. It requires state regulators to approve labeling rules so consumers can tell what can be composted. The bill's author, Democratic Assemblyman Phil Ting, said some companies label items as useable for compost even though they contain harmful chemicals that make the compost unusable. "It shouldn't be a difficult concept: if it says 'recyclable,' that means you should be able to put it in the recycling bin, and if it says 'compostable,' you should be able to put it in the composting bin," Lapis said. "Somehow companies have decided that they can get away with marketing that that they know is deceptive because of the technicality that most things are theoretically recyclable or compostable." A third bill expands on an existing state law that allows restaurants to distribute single-use straws only upon request. It requires take-out places to give consumers single-use condiment packages like ketchup and mustard and utensils like knives, forks and spoons only if asked. They were among nine related bills signed by the governor, who also touted $270 million in the state budget to modernize and encourage recycling. He also signed a second Ting bill that will ban the use of so-called "forever chemicals" in food packaging starting Jan. 1, 2023, and by 2024 will require cookware manufacturers to disclose if hazardous materials are used in their products. Ting said PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, have been linked to cancer and thyroid disease and can disrupt hormones and vaccines. California joins Connecticut, Maine, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington in banning PFAS in food packaging. A different law signed by Newsom bars the chemicals in products intended for infants and children, such as cribs and playpens starting on July 1, 2023. Tags LocalCalifornia Sign up for our newsletters! Keep up with all the latest news, arts and culture, and TV highlights from KPBS. 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