On July 14, 2026, the US District Court for the Southern District of California preliminarily enjoined California Attorney General Rob Bonta from enforcing California Senate Bill 343, California’s Truth in Recycling law. The court concluded that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed on their constitutional vagueness claims and First Amendment challenge.
Effectively, the ruling suspends enforcement of the law, which was scheduled to become operative on October 4, 2026, at least while proceedings continue, but it does not eliminate the legal risks associated with recyclability claims.
In other words, California Attorney General Rob Bonta cannot enforce the prohibition on the use of the chasing arrows symbol, at least for now, but companies that market products in California must continue to evaluate recyclability representations under the Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guides, California’s false advertising statutes and the growing body of consumer class-action litigation challenging environmental marketing claims.
For more information, please see “Federal court enjoins California’s SB 343 “Truth in Recycling” law.”