California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a new law that eliminates the option of plastic shopping bags at grocery store checkouts, a significant step in the state’s environmental efforts.
While California had previously banned thin plastic bags, consumers were still able to purchase thicker plastic bags claimed to be reusable and recyclable. Under the new law, which will take effect in 2026, shoppers without their own bags will only be offered paper alternatives.
State Senator Catherine Blakespear, a supporter of the legislation, pointed out that the reuse and recycling rates for plastic bags were alarmingly low. She cited a state study revealing that the average person disposed of 11 pounds (5 kilograms) of plastic shopping bags annually by 2021, an increase from 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms) in 2004.
“We are literally choking our planet with plastic waste,” she stated in February, according to a report by Associated Press.
Environmental advocates praised Newsom’s decision, claiming it would protect California’s coastlines, marine life, and communities from single-use plastic bags. Christy Leavitt, Oceana’s plastics campaign director, remarked that the ban reinforces California’s role as a leader in combating the global plastic pollution crisis.
Currently, 12 states have enacted some form of statewide plastic bag ban, according to the advocacy group Environment America Research & Policy Center, with many cities across 28 states having their own regulations. California first introduced a statewide ban on plastic bags in 2014, which was subsequently supported by voters in a 2016 referendum.
The California Public Interest Research Group welcomed the new law, asserting that it aligns with the original intent of the 2014 ban. “Plastic bags create pollution in our environment and break into microplastics that contaminate our drinking water and threaten our health,” said Jenn Engstrom, the group’s director.
“With the Governor’s signature, California has finally banned plastic bags in grocery checkout lanes once and for all”, said Jenn as reported by AP.
Notably, Newsom was the mayor of San Francisco when he signed the nation’s first plastic bag ban in 2007.
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