Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom enacted a law Sunday that will ban the use of most plastic bags at grocery store checkouts.
The law, S.B. 1053, will prohibit stores from giving customers single-use plastic bags at the point of sale once it takes effect at the start of 2026. The legislation is California’s second attempt to crack down on single-use plastic bags in the state and includes some exemptions, including a carve-out for bags used to carry unwrapped food items.
“I thank Governor Newsom for signing this important legislation that will help protect California’s environment,” California Democratic State Sen. Catherine Blakespear, who introduced the bill, said upon its enactment. “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.”
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California enacted a similar law 10 years ago that banned single-use plastic bags while allowing customers to use thicker plastic bags that met recycling standards and were considered reusable, according to Blakespear. However, that policy seems to have backfired given that relatively few of those thicker bags were ever recycled and they generated more plastic waste over time, the state lawmaker added.
Per-capita waste grew by nearly 50% in the state between 2004 and 2021, jumping from about 8 pounds per person to 11 pounds, according to data from CalRecycle. More broadly, California has pursued some of the most aggressive state-level climate policies in the country, including a 2035 ban on the sale of new gas-powered vehicles and a 100% green energy mandate to be met by 2045.
New Jersey, another state dominated politically by the Democratic Party, enacted its own single-use plastic bag ban in 2022. While single-use plastic bag consumption fell significantly after the ban came into effect, overall plastic consumption increased in the state due in large part to the fact that approved reusable bags were more plastic-intensive products than the disfavored single-use bags, according to research published in January by the Fredonia Group.
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