A federal judge has blocked California from enforcing its law restricting what products can use the “chasing arrows” recycling symbol while a legal challenge plays out.
What happened: U.S. District Judge William Q. Hayes determined in a ruling Tuesday that the agricultural, food, retail and packaging groups are likely to win their First Amendment challenge against the law. The ruling blocked the state from enforcing the law, which it was scheduled to do starting Oct. 4.
The law, state Sen. Ben Allen’s SB 343, bars producers from labeling their products as recyclable or using the “chasing arrows” symbol unless packaging meets state-set recyclability criteria.
Sometimes called the “Truth in Recycling” law, it was meant to limit misleading claims and avoid nonrecyclable products bogging down recycling facilities. But the industry coalition argues the rules may have a chilling effect on free speech, drive up costs and leave consumers unclear about what products to put in the recycling bin.
