Help ensure Common Sense Recycling of foam lunch trays can continue! 
Let's amend SB-54 to allow K-12 districts that can prove they are recycling their foam trays (via a Turn-Key thermal foam densification program) to keep doing so and let's allow suppliers to keep selling to these good environmental stewards.

We ask you to support our efforts to have legislators add an amendment to SB-54 explicitly stating that K-12 school districts that utilize on-site thermal densification recycling technology may continue to procure and use polystyrene foam foodservice wares  -- and that their distributors, wholesalers or other suppliers may again provide such disposable trays.

Let's not unintentionally punish such districts, but instead reward districts who can demonstrate they are already recycling foam.  This makes more sense than forcing such districts to buy and then often Landfill expensive, "compostable" lunch trays.  If you've invested in technology to enable you to recycle polystyrene and you don't have viable compost infrastructure in your area, let's recognize that reality.  This is a story of the best of intentions, with unintended negative financial and environmental consequences. It places an  unfair burden on pro-active districts who were already ahead of the curve on recycling.

The SB-54 Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act has many commendable goals.  The legislation effectively leverages punitive measures against the major producers and sellers of plastic and polystyrene (foam) products, to achieve environmental goals.  We commend the long-term goals and intent behind the legislation.  Where it makes sense, this is a good approach.  However, it doesn't take place in a world where everyone can actually compost "compostable" trays.

 K12 Schools take issue with how one segment's proactive Recycling efforts are now being punished instead of rewarded.  K-12 Districts that were already recycling their soiled foam lunch trays had about 2-3 weeks Notice from their suppliers in December 2024 about the January 1st cut-off date to purchase foam lunch trays.

Small and rural K-12 Districts now face a Doubling or Tripling of their tray costs, while also losing an effective way to Recycle Disposable trays!

In addition, this will Double their waste disposal costs, because whereas thermal densification of foam lunch trays achieves 95% on-site reduction, that's not possible with paper-based trays,.  K-12 Schools that have already been proactively recycling polystyrene foam lunch trays should be permitted to keep buying such trays and recycling them.  We all want to do what's right and a one-size fit's all approach doesn't take into account local compost infrastructure or K-12 District Budgets and how SB-54 can literally force many districts to reduce scratch cooking of nutritious meals, to afford expensive paper-based trays -- that they have to landfill, because they have no compost site close enough to properly recycle that compostable tray.