SB 54: California’s State Law to Reduce Single-Use Packaging and Plastic Foodservice Ware

The Plastic Pollution Producer Responsibility Act, SB 54, addresses the large-scale use and impact of single-use packaging and plastic disposable foodservice ware in California. Packaging is a large portion of what ends up in California’s landfills, and this law regulates the companies that produce it. The law requires that all forms of single-use packaging and food ware be recyclable or compostable by 2032.

SB 54 is no longer hypothetical. California’s Office of Administrative Law approved the permanent regulations, and they took effect on May 1, 2026, so compliance obligations are active now.

What Is SB 54 California’s Single-Use Plastic Law?

Senate Bill 54 is a significant step forward, surpassing other states’ efforts to reduce single-use plastic production and pollution. It’s shifted the responsibility of preventing plastic pollution from consumers to the plastic industry. It dictates specific targets and compliance regulations for producers to meet over the years leading up to 2032.

When Was the CalRecycle SB 54 Bill Passed?

Senate Bill No. 54 was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on June 30, 2022. In 2023, CalRecycle named an advisory board, held informal rulemaking workshops, and engaged with stakeholders. By 2024, it had publicly outlined recyclable and compostable categories.

CalRecycle then finalized the SB 54 regulations through formal review. The permanent regulations were approved by California’s Office of Administrative Law and took effect May 1, 2026, moving the program from rulemaking into active implementation.

What Is the Timeline for Senate Bill 54 in California?

CalRecycle has published a specific goals timeline that now runs on the final regulations:

• Producer registration was due by June 1, 2026.
• Full program implementation begins January 1, 2027.
• Recycling rates must reach 30% by 2028, 40% by 2030, and 65% by 2032.
• Source-reduction targets must reach 10% by 2027, 20% by 2030, and 25% by 2032.

2032 Goals

The state of California and CalRecycle designed SB 54 to phase out single-use plastic packaging and food ware, with some exceptions, by 2032. The final year’s targets include:

• 65% of single-use plastic packaging%C2%A0Not%20less%20than%2065%20percent%20of%20covered%20material%20on%20and%20after%20January%201%2C%202032.) and food ware in California will be recycled in the state after January 1, 2032.
• A 25% reduction in single-use plastic packaging%C2%A0(1)%C2%A0By,implement%20this%20section.) sold or distributed in California.
• 100% of packaging and single-use plastic%C2%A0Ensure%20that%20all%20covered%20material%20offered%20for%20sale%2C%20distributed%2C%20or%20imported%20in%20or%20into%20the%20state%20on%20or%20after%20January%201%2C%202032%2C%20is%20recyclable%20in%20the%20state%20or%20eligible%20for%20being%20labeled%20%E2%80%9Ccompostable%E2%80%9D%20in%20accordance%20with%20Chapter%205.7%20(commencing%20with%20Section%2042355).) food ware will be compostable or recyclable.

Everything You Need to Know About California’s Senate Bill 54

SB 54 is one of the most comprehensive Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) bills in the United States. The regulations may affect vendors from outside the state who partner with California.

Organizations in California, and those within SB 54’s reach through partnerships, must be familiar with the bill to ensure compliance and avoid fines. Many businesses will have to join a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) or apply as independent producers.

What Is a PRO?

A PRO is a Producer Responsibility Organization approved by CalRecycle. SB 54 requires residential and commercial producers of plastic single-use food ware and packaging to join a PRO. Their payments to the PROs then fund the end-of-life cycle of each producer’s materials.

The PRO ensures brands collaborate to finance efficient collection, processing, and recycling, and to build a circular economy.

The Circular Action Alliance (CAA) is the sole CalRecycle-approved PRO. Producer Responsibility Organizations must fund $500 million annually from 2027 for ten years, placed in the California Plastic Pollution Mitigation Fund to continue sustainability efforts.

Do All Producers Have to Join a PRO?

Producers can comply individually only if they can prove a recycling rate of 65%%C2%A0(A)%C2%A0Notwithstanding,70%20percent%20annually) or more from January 1, 2024, to January 1, 2027. After that, they must maintain a recycling rate of at least 70%.

Participating in a PRO may help your business stay compliant, because groups like the CAA send alerts and support producers in fulfilling obligations. Otherwise, producers can submit an individual compliance plan for approval.

Who Does SB 54 Apply To?

SB 54 applies to producers, which includes manufacturers, brand owners, or anyone making or selling a product using materials covered by this law. Many businesses will be held accountable, including:

• Food and beverage companies.
• Restaurants and stores.
• Apparel and footwear brands.
• Homegoods companies.
• Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) manufacturers.
• All retailers selling products with covered packaging.

Covered producers are generally those with more than $1 million in gross annual sales. Smaller producers may be exempt from most obligations.

What Are the Penalties for SB 54 in California?

Noncompliance with SB 54 regulations will make retailers, producers, and wholesalers susceptible to fines and penalties. CalRecycle may impose civil penalties of up to $50,000 per day per violation, which will go to the Circular Economy Penalty Account.

What Products Are Covered?

Foodservice ware and packaging the SB 54 bill covers include:

• Single-use packaging of any material: this includes plastic, paperboard, metal, glass, paper, and multi-layer materials.
• Plastic single-use foodservice ware: lids, trays, straws, cutlery, cups, stirrers, lidded containers, plates, wrappers, clamshells, auxiliary food containers, and other items with plastic components.

CalRecycle groups regulated items into Covered Material Categories (CMCs) by material type and by whether they contain a plastic component.

What Products Are Excluded From SB 54 Regulations?

Some items are exempt from the law, including packaging used for the following products:

• Prescription drugs.
• Medical products.
• Drugs used for animal medicines.
• Infant formula.
• Medical food.
• Nutritional supplements for medical conditions.
• Certain insecticides, fungicides, and rodenticides.
• Flammable or hazardous products.
• Products that must be stored for longer than five years.
• Products covered under the architectural paint recovery program.
• Covered material that meets certain criteria%C2%A0(i)%C2%A0Covered,of%20this%20chapter.).

What Are the Benefits of Senate Bill 54?

This bill is a win for the environment, even if much more still needs to be done. Besides generally encouraging change, California’s SB 54 law benefits the environment and economy by:

• Legally requiring all single-use food ware and packaging to be fully compostable or recyclable by 2032.
• Reducing the volume of plastic used for packaging and shifting expenditure to sustainable materials.
• Transferring the cost of collecting, processing, and recycling single-use packaging from local governments to plastic producers.
• Stimulating the formation of circular economies.
• Inspiring focus and investment in reuse and refill programs.
• Driving innovation for new packaging and foodservice ware solutions.

What Are the Alternatives to Banned Single-Use Plastics?

You can stay compliant and cut waste by matching each item to the end-of-life pathway your local systems actually support. SB 54 recognizes two compliant pathways: materials that are recyclable in California, and materials certified compostable for composting facilities.

Expanded polystyrene (EPS), often sold as foam or Styrofoam foodservice ware, can no longer be sold in California because it did not meet the recycling rate the law required. Operators using foam cups, clamshells, and trays need compliant replacements now.

Recyclable materials only comply where local facilities accept them, so confirm what your haulers and composters take before switching. Compostable materials comply where composting collection exists, and the required composting temperature depends on the product.

The table below maps common plastic items to a Greenprint® alternative and its certified end-of-life pathway.

Item	Conventional Plastic	Greenprint® Alternative	Certification / End-of-Life Pathway
Straws	Polypropylene or PET plastic straws	Green Dot Compostable Upcycled Agave Straws (agave-PLA/PBAT compound with enzyme masterbatch)	TÜV Austria OK Compost HOME and BPI Commercial Compostability; break down in home compost at 20–30°C.
Cutlery	Plastic forks, knives, and spoons	Compostable Agave Cutlery (agave-PLA compound)	BPI Commercial Compostability; industrial composting at 55–60°C.
Clamshells, plates, and bowls	EPS foam or rigid plastic containers	Fiberware™ (bagasse sugarcane fiber)	TÜV Austria OK Compost INDUSTRIAL; industrial composting at 55–60°C.
Cups	Plastic-lined hot cups; PET or EPS cold cups	Renewacups™ (hot) and Clearly Compostable™ (cold)	Renewacups™: 98.75% plastic-free paper. Clearly Compostable™: BPI Industrial Compostable and TÜV Austria OK Compost INDUSTRIAL.

Our Green Dot Compostable Upcycled Agave Straws break down in a backyard compost bin at 20–30°C. That home-compostable performance comes from an enzyme masterbatch in our proprietary agave-PLA/PBAT compound. The enzyme catalyzes hydrolysis of the PLA polymer chains; this is not a generic property of PLA. The straws carry TÜV Austria OK Compost HOME and BPI Commercial Compostability certification.

In our own triplicate testing (study GP-BIO-001) at home compost temperatures of 20–30°C, the straws fully broke down within 20 weeks, which supports the TÜV Austria OK Compost HOME certification.

Our Compostable Agave Cutlery uses the same agave fiber in a standard PLA blend without the enzyme masterbatch. As a result, it composts in an industrial facility at 55–60°C rather than at home, and it carries BPI Commercial Compostability certification. Route it through a commercial composting program, not a backyard bin.

Fiberware™ clamshells, plates, and bowls are molded from bagasse, the sugarcane fiber left after juice extraction, with no plastic lining. They are certified to TÜV Austria OK Compost INDUSTRIAL and belong in commercial composting at 55–60°C. Fiberware™ is a separate material from our agave compound, made by a different supplier.

For hot drinks, our Renewacups™ paper cups are 98.75% plastic-free. For cold drinks, Clearly Compostable™ clear cups are made from PLA and carry both BPI Industrial Compostable and TÜV Austria OK Compost INDUSTRIAL certification. Neither cup line uses our agave compound.

How Greenprint Can Help

Greenprint has been creating compostable solutions for the disposable industry since 2019. We help stores and restaurants maintain compliance and address the issue of single-use plastics, packaging, and food ware.

Our products include clamshells, cups, cutlery, plates, and straws made from recyclable and compostable materials. Contact our team directly to learn more about packaging alternatives.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the SB 54 Law in California?

SB 54, the Plastic Pollution Producer Responsibility Act, is an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) law for single-use packaging and plastic foodservice ware. It shifts the cost and responsibility for that material from local governments to the producers that make and sell it.

What Is the Current Status of SB 54?

The permanent regulations took effect May 1, 2026, after approval by California’s Office of Administrative Law. Full program implementation begins January 1, 2027.

Who Has to Comply With SB 54?

SB 54 applies to producers of single-use packaging and plastic foodservice ware sold in California. Most are businesses with more than $1 million in gross annual sales.

Is Styrofoam Banned Under SB 54?

EPS (expanded polystyrene) foodservice ware can no longer be sold in California because it did not meet the recycling rate the law required.

What Are Compliant Alternatives to Single-Use Plastics?

Compliant options are recyclable or certified-compostable packaging and food ware. Greenprint®’s lines include agave straws, Compostable Agave Cutlery, Fiberware™ containers, and Renewacups™ and Clearly Compostable™ cups.