The Sacramento Stupidity was on full display this week as Newsom signed yet another law aimed at restricting use of plastic. The last plastic grocery bag ban had a "loophole" that still allowed the heavier "reusable" bags but, guess what, not enough people are reusing them so they must be outlawed. Who could possibly have foreseen that? "Once plastic bags are outlawed, only outlaws will have plastic bags". Coupled with Bonta's idiotic suit against ExxonMobil for making something that is a necessity in life. As the WSJ notes:
The company’s alleged deception supposedly caused California lawmakers in 1989 to pass legislation forcing cities to set up recycling programs “that required mandatory participation by all residents.”
In other words, it is Exxon’s fault that Californians must place plastic waste into separate trash containers even though most of it doesn’t actually get recycled. Mr. Bonta claims that Exxon has “wrongly convinced consumers that plastics separated for recycling would actually be recycled,” though, notably, the state hasn’t repealed that law.
Nor has Sacramento repealed the CRV. Duping lawmakers seems pretty easy.
The memorial to thicker plastic bags will live on in my car's trunk for years. "Thank you for your service".
Here's a bit more from the WSJ piece:
This “consumer confusion,” he contends, “placed the blame of plastic waste on consumers themselves and thus paralyzed regulatory solutions,” including “plastics restrictions in California and elsewhere.” The theory is that if not for Exxon’s alleged deception, lawmakers in California and other states might have banned disposable plastics sooner.
If Exxon created a public nuisance, California is jointly liable. Last month Mr. Newsom boasted that “California is taking bold action to transform our recycling systems and reduce the waste filling our landfills and polluting the environment.” Those efforts were meant to “create a more sustainable and resilient future for our communities and the planet.”
Other co-conspirators include the thousands of companies that signal their virtue by boasting that their products are recyclable. Starbucks in 2020 rolled out straw-less recyclable plastic lids for cold drinks as part of its “sustainable” pledge. But the new lids consist of even more plastic, and many people toss them in the trash anyway, resulting in more waste.
Posted by: Joe | October 02, 2024 at 11:17 AM