California Lawmakers Might Ban This Popular Grocery Store Item 'For Good'

California might finally get rid of plastic grocery bags for good!

According to KTLA , state lawmakers recently approved not one, but two bills "banning grocery and convenience stores statewide from offering customers reusable plastic bags." Lawmakers hope that the approved bills will remedy California's plastic pollution problem more quickly than laws currently in place that prohibit thin, single-use plastic bags.

If bills AB2236 and SB1053 are approved by opposing houses, grocery stores across the state will only be able to offer paper bags or bags made from "50% post-consumer recycled materials" for 10 cents, per KTLA .

Assembly-member Bauer-Kahan , an author of bill AB 2236, detailed the importance of the issue .

“Plastics are the next front in our fight against big oil. By 2050, plastic production will exceed 20% of global oil production. AB 2236 is a critical step to eliminate plastic pollution and eliminates an opportunity for the oil industry to continue destroying our planet.”

Senator Catherine Blakespear , author of bill SB 1053, believes that little will change if Californians do not do their part to help the environment.

“We need to do better . Shockingly, some 18 billion pounds of plastic waste flows into the oceans every year from coastal regions alone. California must do its part to eliminate this scourge that is contaminating our environment."

On the other hand, the American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance opposes the bills. They believe that eliminating plastic grocery bags will only increase plastic use among residents, and will "raise costs for working families."

“If SB 1053 passes, the thick, recyclable plastic reusable bags currently mandated by the state would cease to exist. Passing this bill would likely trigger increased plastic use, eliminate the use of 183 million pounds of recycled content in California each year, exacerbate our carbon footprint, move jobs out of California, and significantly raise costs for working families.”

If the opposing houses pass the bills and they are signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom , they will go into effect on January 1st, 2026.