California DOJ Fined Plastic Bag Makers $1.75M for False Recyclability Claims

The survey concluded that the majority of California facilities do not accept plastic bags or process them for recycling.

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The California Department of Justice (DOJ) has reached a settlement in a major lawsuit involving misleading recyclability claims made by several plastic bag manufacturers. The legal action, which followed a three-year investigation, targeted four companies — Revolution Sustainable Solutions, Metro Poly, PreZero US Packaging, and Advance Polybag — for selling bags falsely labeled as recyclable under the state’s environmental standards.

According to the DOJ, the companies violated California’s SB 270 law, which mandates accurate labeling and recyclability standards for plastic products. Investigations revealed that the plastic bags marketed by these manufacturers were not recyclable through any existing recycling systems in the state.

A comprehensive survey conducted during the probe found that only 2 out of 69 recycling facilities claimed to accept plastic bags — and even those could not verify that the materials were ultimately recycled. The findings confirmed that most facilities across California neither accept nor process plastic bags for recycling.

California attorney general files lawsuit over plastic bags

Under the settlement terms, the four companies have agreed to cease selling plastic bags in California and collectively pay $1.75 million, including $1.12 million in civil penalties and $636,000 in legal fees.

In a related development, Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a separate lawsuit against Novolex Holdings, Inteplast Group, and Mettler Packaging, accusing them of deceptive marketing practices that mislead consumers about the recyclability of their plastic bags.

This case underscores California’s growing efforts to enforce truth in environmental labeling and to combat greenwashing in the packaging industry.