Senate Panel Approves SB 45 to Require Tethered Bottle Caps for Major Beverage Manufacturers

Sen. Alex Padilla presented SB 45 to require tethered caps on qualifying PET single‑use beverage containers sold in California. The author said the measure was narrowed by committee amendments to exclude alcoholic beverages, 100% juice, containers over 2 liters, and smaller producers (manufacturers below 16 million units annually).

Supporters — including Story of Stuff and Californians Against Waste — cited European experience and CalRecycle data. Miriam Gordon (Story of Stuff) said tethered caps have been required across the EU since 2019 and argued the technology exists and is already used by major producers there. The author and supporters pointed to CalRecycle’s 2023–24 assessment cited in committee testimony that roughly 47% of caps are recaptured while a higher share of bottles are recycled; they argued tethering keeps caps with bottles and increases cap recovery. Mark Murray (Californians Against Waste) said redesigned tethered caps reduced package weight and litter in European markets and that the marginal production cost reported by one company was approximately 0.2 cents per container.

Opponents included a broad retail, manufacturing and food‑industry coalition and several small retailers. They argued the mandate would require retooling, impose costs on manufacturers and distributors that could be passed to consumers, and create a patchwork of regulated/unregulated containers because of the bill’s exemptions. A small San Diego retailer testified that the bill’s costs could force small stores to stop carrying some culturally important beverages.

After testimony the committee voted to pass SB 45, as amended, to Appropriations (committee roll call recorded).