HUNTINGTON PARK, Calif. – Last week, several legislative staffers and members of the community attended a tour at American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance (ARPBA) member Crown Poly’s Huntington Park headquarters. Founded in 1991, Crown Poly prides itself on developing innovative, eco-friendly products, including grocery bags made from 100% recycled plastic.

Tour attendees learned about Crown Poly’s efforts to reduce landfill waste and greenhouse gas emissions by making all bags from post-consumer or post-industrial recycled plastic. Crown Poly supplies their recyclable, reusable plastic bags to local retailers and seven of the 10 largest grocers in the country.

“Crown Poly is dedicated to balancing consumers’ retail needs with environmental goals by offering sturdy, reliable bags made from 100% recycled material,” says Crown Poly general manager Cathy Browne. “We’re proud to employ over 400 community members who make our mission of promoting sustainable bagging solutions a reality.”

Unfortunately, the California State Legislature is currently considering Senate Bill 1053 (SB 1053) and Assembly Bill 2236 (AB 2236), twin measures that would eliminate the use of recyclable, reusable plastic bags in California, eliminating consumer choice, diverting more plastic to landfills and undercutting the state’s growing recycling industry.

“It’s disappointing that legislators are considering bills that would be so detrimental to California’s recycling industry and companies like Crown Poly that are working hard to find innovative solutions that meet consumer demand while protecting our environment,” says Browne. “Our industry recycles 200 million pounds of plastic each year and if we’re no longer operating, that plastic may go straight to our landfills.”