Solid waste: plastic microbeads.

Assembly Member Boerner's legislation to curb plastic microbead pollution expands California's existing restrictions on these particles in personal care products to encompass a broader range of consumer goods. The measure builds upon current law, which prohibits plastic microbeads in rinse-off personal care items like toothpaste.

Starting January 1, 2029, the bill would prohibit the sale or distribution of cleaning products and non-rinse-off personal care items containing one part per million or more by weight of plastic microbeads used as abrasives. The following year, these restrictions would extend to all cleaning and personal care products containing plastic microbeads at or above this threshold, regardless of their function. The bill defines plastic microbeads as intentionally added solid plastic particles measuring five millimeters or less in every dimension.

The measure retains the existing enforcement framework, under which the Attorney General and local officials can impose civil penalties up to $2,500 per day for each violation. The bill excludes prescription drugs from its requirements while maintaining the current definition of personal care products as items intended for cleansing or beautifying the human body. For cleaning products, the bill references existing statutory definitions of "designated products" in the Health and Safety Code.