CA Removable Plastic Bottle Caps and Straw Ban

California looks to ban removable plastic bottle caps and restrict plastic straws.

An estimated 500 million straws are used in the U.S. every day, according the National Park Service. Some of the straws end up on beaches and in the oceans, posing a health hazard to sea life such as whales, turtles and birds, according to environmentalists.

California lawmakers are considering a bill that would require the beverage industry to use attachable caps on plastic bottles.

To be clear, Assembly Bill 1884 wouldn't ban plastic straws.  It aims to force single-use plastic beverage container caps.

If it passes, the California measure could set a bottle cap and plastic bottle standard for the rest of the nation.

California also wants to impose restrictions on restaurants handing out plastic straws by requiring customers to specifically request them.

The passage of Assembly Bill No. 2779 would force bottling companies to decide whether they want to have California-specific plastic bottles with tethered bottle caps or different bottles for other markets across the U.S. Given that California is the nation's largest consumer market with more than 39 million people, there's a possibility that beverage companies may decide to let California bottles become the industry standard.

Organizations such as the California Restaurant Association, the International Bottled Water Association

Association and the American Beverage Association oppose the measure and will continue to fight it.  They cite the following reasons:

- It would require changes in manufacturing procedures.

-Added production cost will increase the price of the item.

-Cost will be passed on to the consumer.

-It could lower sales which will slow growth and cause businesses to close.

Sources:
Assembly Bill No. 2779
Assembly Bill 1884
National Park Service
The International Bottled Water Association
The American Beverage Association
California Restaurant Association