Legislation STAC Supports - Save The Albatross Coalition

Good plastics policy is only as strong as the people who show up to defend it. The Save The Albatross Coalition tracks bills and legal actions that affect plastic pollution in California and beyond, and works alongside partners like the Clean Seas Coalition, Californians Against Waste, and Surfrider Foundation to support them. Below are the measures we are following now. Where a sign-on letter or action alert is open, we link to it so you can add your voice.

SB 54 Regulations Lawsuit (NRDC, CAW Foundation & Oceana v. CalRecycle)

STAC position: Support the plaintiffs

California’s SB 54 (2022) is the nation’s most ambitious law to cut plastic packaging and hold producers responsible for it. In May 2026 the state approved its implementing regulations. On June 2, 2026, NRDC, the Californians Against Waste Foundation, and Oceana sued CalRecycle in San Francisco Superior Court, arguing the rules weaken the law. Their central concern is chemical recycling: SB 54 excludes technologies that produce significant hazardous waste, yet the regulations let pyrolysis and similar processes count as recycling as long as they hold a permit. The groups are asking the court to send the rules back for correction while the program continues.

A separate federal suit filed June 22 by 17 states and a wholesalers’ trade group seeks to block SB 54 entirely. STAC will post updates as both cases move forward.

AB 2226: Repeal of Pre-Checkout Bag Standards

STAC position: Opposed. Outcome: Bill died in committee

AB 2226 would have repealed SB 1046 (2022), which requires produce and other pre-checkout bags to be compostable or recycled paper. That standard exists because thin plastic produce bags were contaminating municipal compost. A coalition including Surfrider Foundation opposed the bill, and it died in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, leaving California’s standard in place. It’s a reminder that hard-won protections need defenders.

Get Involved

Know of a bill or local ordinance STAC should support? Contact us. New to advocacy? Our Organizer Resources page links to step-by-step guides for sign-on letters, call-in days, and meeting with your representatives.