Californians will no longer have the option of plastic bags. On Sept. 22, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law banning all plastic shopping bags at grocery stores in the state.
Set to go into effect in 2026, the new law aims to close a past loophole. A previous law was passed in 2014 and approved by voters in 2016. It allowed stores to charge 10 cents for a thicker plastic bag that could be recycled. However, many residents opted to shell out the dime only to toss the bag in the trash.
In fact, according to CalRecycle, the amount of grocery and merchandise bags disposed by Californians grew from 157,385 tons at the start of the ban to 231,072 tons by 2022. That’s a 47 percent increase.
Senator Catherine Blakespear and Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, both democrats, authored the bill.
“I thank Governor Newsom for signing this important legislation that will help protect California’s environment,” Blakespear said in a press release. “Instead of being asked do you want paper or plastic at checkout, consumers will simply be asked if they want a paper bag, if they haven’t brought a reusable bag. This straightforward approach is easy to follow and will help dramatically reduce plastic bag pollution.”
“We deserve a cleaner future for our communities, our children and our earth,” Bauer-Kahan added. “It’s time for us to get rid of these plastic bags and continue to move forward with a more pollution-free environment.”
According to The World Counts, 160,000 plastic bags are used per second worldwide. The bags take 1,000 years to break down, the site states.
CNN, citing Environment America Research & Policy Center, reports that 12 states, including California, have some type of statewide plastic bag ban in place. Additionally, individual cities over 28 states also enforce some iteration of a plastic bag ban.
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