A measure prohibiting the use of plastic bags at grocery store checkouts, even the thicker "reusable" bags that retailers had been using since an earlier prohibition, was signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom.
One of the main co-authors of the measure, California Assembly woman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, said in a statement that "we deserve a cleaner future for our communities, our children, and our earth." "We need to stop using these plastic bags and keep moving toward a cleaner, more pollution-free environment."
California has outlawed single-use plastic bags for over a decade, but Governor Gavin Newsom signed a measure on Sunday that tightens the law.
According to a statement posted on Sen. Catherine Blakespear's website, the prior measure "allowed stores to sell customers thicker plastic carryout bags that were considered reusable and met certain recyclability standards." The new measure was proposed by Blakespear.
"However, the truth is almost none of those bags are reused or recycled, and they end up in landfills or polluting the environment."
Grocery businesses used to provide their customers paper or plastic bags. Instead of being offered the option between plastic and paper bags, those who do not already own reusable bags will instead be asked whether they would like a paper bag under the new law, SB 1053.
Blakespear stated in a statement, "This simple approach is easy to follow and will help dramatically reduce plastic bag pollution."
When will the bill be enacted?
The law becomes operative on January 1, 2026.
What "recycled paper bag" means now
According to CalRecycle, grocery businesses, retail establishments with pharmacies, convenience stores, food marts, and liquor stores were limited to using recycled paper bags or reusable plastic bags created with recycled material under the previous prohibition, SB 270, which went into effect on July 1, 2015.
The proposed law would redefine a "recycled paper bag" and mandate that, as of January 1, 2028, all bags with that designation include at least 50% recycled materials from the post-consumer market.
Why did this bill get proposed?
The press statement said that after the prior prohibition, the bags shops moved to were:
challenging to recycle.
hardly recycled.
hardly used again.
A separate statistic posted on Blakespear's website states that in 2004, Californians consumed 147,038 tons, or around 8 pounds of plastic per person. The total increased to 231,072 tons by 2021, or almost 11 pounds per person.
Mercado Wolski
A measure prohibiting the use of plastic bags at grocery store checkouts, even the thicker "reusable" bags that retailers had been using since an earlier prohibition, was signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom.
One of the main co-authors of the measure, California Assembly woman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, said in a statement that "we deserve a cleaner future for our communities, our children, and our earth." "We need to stop using these plastic bags and keep moving toward a cleaner, more pollution-free environment."
California has outlawed single-use plastic bags for over a decade, but Governor Gavin Newsom signed a measure on Sunday that tightens the law.
According to a statement posted on Sen. Catherine Blakespear's website, the prior measure "allowed stores to sell customers thicker plastic carryout bags that were considered reusable and met certain recyclability standards." The new measure was proposed by Blakespear.
"However, the truth is almost none of those bags are reused or recycled, and they end up in landfills or polluting the environment."
Grocery businesses used to provide their customers paper or plastic bags. Instead of being offered the option between plastic and paper bags, those who do not already own reusable bags will instead be asked whether they would like a paper bag under the new law, SB 1053.
Blakespear stated in a statement, "This simple approach is easy to follow and will help dramatically reduce plastic bag pollution."
When will the bill be enacted?
The law becomes operative on January 1, 2026.
What "recycled paper bag" means now
According to CalRecycle, grocery businesses, retail establishments with pharmacies, convenience stores, food marts, and liquor stores were limited to using recycled paper bags or reusable plastic bags created with recycled material under the previous prohibition, SB 270, which went into effect on July 1, 2015.
The proposed law would redefine a "recycled paper bag" and mandate that, as of January 1, 2028, all bags with that designation include at least 50% recycled materials from the post-consumer market.
Why did this bill get proposed?
The press statement said that after the prior prohibition, the bags shops moved to were:
challenging to recycle.
hardly recycled.
hardly used again.
A separate statistic posted on Blakespear's website states that in 2004, Californians consumed 147,038 tons, or around 8 pounds of plastic per person. The total increased to 231,072 tons by 2021, or almost 11 pounds per person.