California has taken a significant step by enacting a new law that eliminates the option of choosing between paper or plastic at grocery store checkout lines. This legislation, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday, prohibits all plastic shopping bags.
California previously prohibited the use of thin plastic shopping bags in supermarkets and various retail outlets; however, consumers were still able to buy bags crafted from a thicker plastic, which was claimed to be reusable and recyclable.
A recent decision by state lawmakers has put a stop to plastic shopping bags, with the ban set to take effect in 2026. Shoppers without their own bags will now be prompted to choose a paper bag instead.
State Sen. Catherine Blakespear, a proponent of the legislation, noted that individuals were failing to reuse or recycle plastic bags. She highlighted a state study revealing that the per capita disposal of plastic shopping bags increased from 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms) annually in 2004 to 11 pounds (5 kilograms) annually in 2021.
Blakespear, representing the Democratic party, stated that the bag ban implemented ten years ago failed to decrease the overall consumption of plastic.
“We are literally choking our planet with plastic waste,” she said in February.
The environmental nonprofit Oceana expressed its appreciation for Newsom’s decision to sign the bill, highlighting the protection it offers to California’s coastline, marine life, and communities against single-use plastic grocery bags.
Christy Leavitt, who directs the plastics campaign at Oceana, expressed on Sunday that the recent prohibition on single-use plastic bags at grocery store checkouts “cements California’s position as a frontrunner in addressing the worldwide plastic pollution challenge.”
According to the environmental advocacy group Environment America Research & Policy Center, a total of twelve states, California among them, have implemented various forms of statewide bans on plastic bags. Numerous cities in 28 states have implemented their own restrictions on plastic bags.
In 2014, the California Legislature enacted a comprehensive prohibition on plastic bags across the state. Voters later confirmed the law in a referendum held in 2016.
On Sunday, the California Public Interest Research Group announced that the newly enacted law aligns with the original goals of the bag ban.
“Plastic bags create pollution in our environment and break into microplastics that contaminate our drinking water and threaten our health,” said the group’s director Jenn Engstrom. “Californians voted to ban plastic grocery bags in our state almost a decade ago, but the law clearly needed a redo. With the Governor’s signature, California has finally banned plastic bags in grocery checkout lanes once and for all.”
In 2007, the mayor of San Francisco took a significant step by implementing the first-ever ban on plastic bags in the country.
