The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) recently conducted a study to assess the feasibility of bifurcating compostable products that are suitable for use in organic agricultural applications from products that are not suitable for use in these types of applications. Based on that study, CalRecycle determined that "…it is not feasible to separate the collection of products in order to recover organic waste that is suitable for use in organic agricultural applications from the collection of products not suitable for use in organic agricultural applications."1 The study, which was required under California law AB 1201, will impact all products, including food packaging, sold in California that are labeled as "compostable."
AB 1201 was enacted on October 5, 2021, to address the requirements for products labeled as compostable or home compostable. The law modified Section 42357 of California's Public Resources Code regarding requirements for substantiating compostable or home compostable claims in the state. Section 42357(g)(1)(b) now states that, as of January 1, 2026, products may not be labeled as compostable or home compostable in California unless, among other things, they are "…an allowable agricultural organic input under the requirements of the United States Department of Agriculture National Organic Program (NOP)."