California Publishes Long-Awaited Regulations For SB 54

On May 1, 2026, California approved and filed the final regulations for the state’s packaging EPR law, SB 54.

California’s SB 54, or the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act, is a so called “Extended Producer Responsibility” (EPR) law aimed at reducing plastic waste and shifting the cost of recycling these plastics from consumers and local governments back to the producer. This is done primarily by establishing a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO), an entity which producers join and pay fees to. The PRO then implements and funds waste management, recycling, and waste reduction practices. California has selected Circular Action Alliance (CAA) as its PRO, though SB 54 also allows producers to comply independently.