The Circular Economy

Moving from a disposable economy to a system that reuses or remakes all materials.

 

 

A circular economy is a roadmap to a zero-waste future with less climate pollution and more green jobs. 

California can move from a disposable system, where most items are used once, then sent to a landfill forever, to a circular one, where we collect and reuse items or remanufacture them into new products.

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Steps Californians can take to cut their trash footprint. 

CalRecycle’s Division of the Circular Economy

California is innovating systems to cut waste and ensure all materials have a path to reuse or recycling.

The Division of the Circular Economy includes programs overseeing:

  • The Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act (SB 54, Allen, 2022) requiring producers by 2032 to make:
    • 25% less plastic packaging
    • 100% of packaging recyclable or compostable, and
    • Sure 65% of plastic packaging gets recycled.
  • The Responsible Battery Recycling Act requiring producers to recycle the 822 million loose batteries Californians use a year.  
    (AB 2440, Irwin, 2022

Circular Economy Symposium – May 17, 2022

CalRecycle discussed California’s efforts to build a circular reuse system to ensure products and materials used in California are reused endlessly.

Our Circular Use Economy Roots

The solution to trash pollution lies in our history of reusing materials instead of turning our resources into trash. 

For more information contact, the Office of Public Affairs, opa@calrecycle.ca.gov