California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Sunday banning plastic bags from being provided at grocery stores, in a move that supporters say will help reduce a major source of waste.
Senate Bill 1053 was co-authored by Sen. Catherine Smith Blakespear (D-Encinitas), whose 38th District also includes parts of south Orange County. It goes farther than SB 270, passed in 2014, which banned “single-use” bags but still allowed grocery stores to provide plastic bags to customers if they were reusable and recyclable.
According to CalRecycle, however, the amount of grocery and merchandise bags tossed out by Californians grew from 157,385 tons of plastic bags the year that California passed the partial ban to 231,072 tons by 2022 — a 47% increase in less than a decade.
“I thank Governor Newsom for signing this important legislation that will help protect California’s environment,” Blakespear said in a statement Sunday.
“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.”
The new law does not restrict the separate sale of any type of bag, but it mandates that only paper bags or a used bag brought by a customer can be available at checkout counters.
The new law will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.
City News Service contributed to this report.
This story was updated on Sun., Sept. 22, 2024, at 2:09 p.m.
