May 29, 2026 On May 1, 2026, California’s Office of Administrative Law approved the permanent regulations for the state’s packaging EPR law, SB 54, completing a three-year rulemaking process. CalRecycle restarted the rulemaking process following a gubernatorial directive in early 2025 and withdrew a revised set of draft rules in January 2026 before the current regulations were approved. The final rules outline how producers must comply with SB 54, including reducing single-use plastic packaging, improving recyclability and compostability, and funding recycling infrastructure statewide. By 2032, SB 54 aims to reduce covered plastic packaging by 25%, make all covered materials recyclable or compostable, and raise the recycling rate for single-use packaging and food service products to 65%. With regulations now in effect, producers face a June 1 deadline to register with Circular