California

Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act (SB 54, 2022)

Active — Reporting Due

PRO

Circular Action Alliance

Agency

CalRecycle

Exemption

Under $1M gross CA sales

Fees

Early fees Aug 2026; full rates 2027-2028

Material Categories

Penalties

Up to $50,000/day

Who is a “producer”?

Under SB 54, a “producer” is determined in the following order of responsibility:

1Brand owner of the product sold in packaging
2Licensee who sells under another's brand
3Importer of record into the US for sale in CA
4Person who first distributes the item in or into CA

What's covered

Covered

✓Single-use packaging (consumer-facing)
✓Plastic food service ware
✓B2B + B2C shipping/tertiary packaging
✓All component parts counted separately

Not Covered / Exempt

✕Packaging with 70%+ recycling rate
✕Small producers (<$1M CA sales)
✕Beverage containers under CA bottle bill

Key Deadlines

Date	What's Due	Status
May 31, 2026	Annual Supply Report (2025 data) + Source Reduction Report	URGENT
May 31, 2026	Final 2023 Baseline Report (30 days after regs finalized)	URGENT
Aug 1, 2026	Individual Source Reduction Plan	URGENT
Aug 1, 2026	Early fee invoices issued	UPCOMING
May 31, 2027	Next annual report (2026 data)	FUTURE
Jan 1, 2028	Full program fee structure begins	FUTURE

Fee Rates (California)

Estimated fee rates per pound, based on CAA methodology and comparable state programs.

Simplified rate groupings for estimation. Official CAA categories are more granular (60–95 categories). See your state’s Producer Responsibility Organization for the complete rate schedule.

Material	Low ($/lb)	High ($/lb)
Readily recyclable plastic (PET, HDPE, PP)	$0.05	$0.12
Non-recyclable plastic (PS, PVC, multi-layer)	$0.22	$0.45
Paper/Fiber (corrugated)	$0.01	$0.05
Paper/Fiber (paperboard)	$0.03	$0.07
Glass	$0.01	$0.05
Aluminum	$0.01	$0.03
Steel	$0.03	$0.06

These are estimated ranges. Actual fee rates for California have not been finalized. Check official sources for updates.

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Eco-Modulation Factors

Credits (reduce fees)

Mono-material (recyclable)-10% to -20%

Switch from multi-material to single-material recyclable formats

High PCR content (>30%)-5% to -15%

Post-consumer recycled content reduces fees

Standardized packaging-5%

Industry-standard sizes and formats

Consumer recycling label-3% to -5%

Clear recycling instructions on packaging

Maluses (increase fees)

Multi-material / non-recyclable+15% to +30%

Hard-to-recycle composites increase fees

Prop 65 chemicals+10% to +25%

Proposition 65 chemicals in packaging trigger additional fees (CA only)

Contaminants+10% to +20%

Dark plastic, additives, and other contaminants

Source Reduction Requirements

✓10% plastic reduction by 2027 (from 2023 baseline)
✓20% reduction by 2030
✓25% reduction by 2032
✓At least 10% must come from reuse/refill or elimination
✓Up to 8% can come from PCR content substitution

Official Resources

CalRecyclecalrecycle.ca.gov/packaging/packaging-epr CAA California Portalcircularactionalliance.org/california

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