Dive Brief:
- California lawmakers have approved legislation that would prohibit grocery stores from providing plastic bags to shoppers at checkout counters.
- The ban, which would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026, if it is signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, would allow stores to only provide bags made from recycled paper available to customers when they pay for their groceries.
- The legislation revises a law passed in 2014 by California legislators that banned the distribution of single-use plastic bags at grocery store checkout counters but allowed retailers to provide shoppers with bags intended to be reused.
Dive Insight:
While California’s decade-old law banning plastic bags from grocery stores created an exception for thicker bags designed to be used multiple times, research shows that shoppers wind up throwing away those bags instead of repurposing or recycling them, according to a press release from state Sen. Catherine Blakespear, who championed the new measure.
The result has been that California has produced more plastic waste since the original plastic bag ban took effect than it did previously, Blakespear said during an Aug. 27 press conference.
Blakespear added that she hopes legislators will expand their efforts to reduce plastic use in the future and sees the grocery industry as a key way to gain momentum for her efforts.
“I am hopeful that we will take this to the next level and the next level as years go on,” said Blakespear, who worked with California Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan to win approval for the legislation. “So starting with grocery stores, but then moving on so that we actually are systematically eliminating a lot of the plastic pollution that comes from plastic bags.”
Under the ban, grocers in California would only be allowed to offer recycled paper bags to shoppers at the point of sale, but customers would retain the option to bring their own bags for their purchases. The ban specifies that, starting Jan. 1, 2028, paper bags must be made from at least 50% postconsumer recycled materials to be considered recycled, with no exceptions.
Under an exception specified in the ban, grocers would still be able to provide carryout bags for shoppers to protect items from damage or contamination or for unwrapped foods before they reach the checkout counter.
Both houses of the California legislature passed identical versions of the bill by large margins last week. The state Senate approved the bill by a 31-8 margin, while the Assembly approved it by a vote of 56-7.
The California Grocers Association endorsed the drive by Blakespear and Bauer-Kahan to win approval for the ban.
“Consumers are calling for sustainable practices from California businesses, but still value a convenient shopping experience. This bill bridges the two to meet consumers where they are while demonstrating care for the environments in which our stores reside,” CGA President and CEO Ron Fong said in a February statement.
More than 200 other groups, including Californians Against Waste, the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Surfrider Foundation, also supported the legislation, according to the press release from Blakespear’s office.
