California to ban all plastic shopping bags at grocery stores
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, earlier this month. Photo: Bryan Dozier/Variety via Getty Images
California is banning all plastic shopping bags at grocery store checkouts under legislation that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed on Sunday.
Why it matters: The law that takes effect on Jan. 1, 2026, honors the intent of a ban on single-use bags "enacted 10 years ago that allowed stores to sell customers thicker plastic carryout bags that were considered reusable and met certain recyclability standards," per a statement from state Sen. Catherine Blakespear.
- Blakespear, one of the legislators behind the bill, said "the truth is almost none of those bags are reused or recycled, and they end up in landfills or polluting the environment."
By the numbers: She pointed in an earlier statement to research showing that "the amount of grocery and merchandise bags disposed by Californians grew from 147,038 tons, or roughly 8 pounds per person, in 2004 to 231,072 tons, or roughly 11 pounds per person, in 2021."
Zoom in: Plastic grocery bags have ranked in the top 10 most commonly collected items by California Coastal Cleanup Day volunteers in seven of the past 10 years, per an emailed statement from Anja Brandon, from the environmental nonprofit Ocean Conservancy, welcoming the new law.
- "Over that decade, volunteers have cleaned up enough plastic bags to span the length of the Golden Gate Bridge nearly 30 times," Brandon added.
- "Plastic grocery bags are not only one of the most common plastics polluting our beaches, but also one of the top five deadliest forms of plastic pollution to marine life."
- The new law excludes "bags used to hold produce or wrap food that could cause contamination, such as meat," the Los Angeles Times notes.
What they're saying: "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," Blakespear said.
- "This straightforward approach is easy to follow and will help dramatically reduce plastic bag pollution."
The other side: American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance executive director Erin Hass said in a statement the group was "disappointed" that Newsom had signed the bill, per the L.A. Times.
- "This flawed bill is similar to legislation in New Jersey, Canada and other regions that has resulted in the widespread use of imported non-recyclable plastic-cloth bags."
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