California Governor Signs Off on Plastic Bag Ban

Shoppers at California grocery stores, liquor stores and big box stores with pharmacies (a la Target and Walmart) will no longer have the choice of paper or plastic bags at checkout.

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On Sunday, Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation into law that will prohibit retailers from distributing plastic shopping bags.

SB 1053, written by State Senator Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas) and Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda), builds upon the framework of the Golden State’s decade-old plastic bag ban, which was largely viewed as a failure due to a loophole that has allowed retailers to continue selling thicker, “reusable” plastic bags for a nominal fee.

According to the California Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recycling arm, CalRecycle , the 2014 law hasn’t made a dent in the state’s plastic waste problem—in fact, the issue has only gotten worse. Grocery and merchandise bag waste ballooned from 157,385 tons the year California passed the bag ban to 231,072 tons in 2022, an increase of 47 percent.

Sen. Blakespear’s office attributed the uptick in trashed plastic to the fact that the thicker, more durable bags are actually more difficult to recycle. Few ever make it to the recycling stage, the lawmaker’s office said, nor are they reused with significant frequency.

The average plastic bag is used for just 12 minutes—enough time for a consumer to return to their car or home with a purchase—before it’s thrown in the bin. A plastic bag’s lifespan following its intended use is much longer; a single sack can languish in a landfill or waterway for up to 1,000 years.

“I thank Governor Newsom for signing this important legislation that will help protect California’s environment,” Sen. Blakespear said. “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.”

“We deserve a cleaner future for our communities, our children and our earth,” Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan said. “It’s time for us to get rid of these plastic bags and continue to move forward with a more pollution-free environment.”

Blakespear and Bauer-Kahan agreed to author their identical bills, SB 1053 and its complement, AB 2236, earlier this year, shepherding them through their respective houses of the California Legislature. SB 2053 was ultimately sent to Newsom for approval.

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Under the new law, stores can offer shoppers paper bags at checkout or consumers can use their own bags to schlep their purchases out the door. Taking effect on Jan. 1, 2026, the law also contains a new definition for recycled paper bags. All bags advertising that distinction will need to be made up of at least 50 percent recycled content by Jan. 1, 2028.

Supported by groups like Californians Against Waste, California Grocers Association, California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG), Heal the Bay, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Ocean Conservancy, Oceana and the Surfrider Foundation , the legislation has been greenlighted by more than 200 state organizations and environmental groups.

California’s plastic bag ban proceeds efforts by other states like Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Colorado and Rhode Island to cut down on plastic waste in a similar fashion.

Newsom’s final signoff on the law has surprised few, as the politician has made environmental regulation a cornerstone of his tenure in office. In 2022, he signed into law an aggressive package of climate measures that aimed to slash the state’s oil use by 91 percent, decrease air pollution by 60 percent through carbon capture efforts and accelerate a transition to clean energy.

Two years earlier, he issued an executive order stating that all new cars and passenger trucks sold in California must be zero-emission vehicles by 2035, given that transportation accounts for over half of the state’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The plastic bag ban isn’t the only eco-regulation impacting retail that will make its way across Newsom’s desk this month.

The governor is also expected to sign off on SB 707, the California Responsible Textile Recovery Act , by Sept. 30. Known colloquially as a textile recycling bill, the legislation will establish an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme in the state. Passed in the state legislature on Aug. 30, the first-of-its-kind bill will require sellers of many apparel and textile products to establish and fund a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) to deal with the collection, sortation, transport, repair and recycling of textile waste.

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