California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, on Sunday introduced legislation that would ban most plastic bags at grocery store checkouts.
The law is SB1053would prohibit stores from giving single-use plastic bags to customers at the point of sale when it goes into effect in early 2026. The bill marks California's second attempt to crack down on single-use plastic bags statewide and includes several exceptions, including one for bags used to transport unpackaged food.
“I thank Governor Newsom for signing this important bill that will help protect California's environment,” said California Democratic Sen. Katherine Breakspear, who introduced the bill. said Once implemented, instead of consumers being asked if they want paper or plastic at the register, they will simply be asked if they need a paper bag if they don't have a reusable bag with them. This simple approach is easy to implement and will help significantly reduce plastic bag pollution.” (RELATED: Andrew Cuomo Wants to Ban Plastic Bags Across New York State)
Trump: “Kamala Harris is a radical liberal from California who destroyed the economy, destroyed the border, and destroyed the world” pic.twitter.com/GQ4enYSUhO
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California enacted a similar law 10 years ago, banning single-use plastic bags but allowing customers to use thicker bags that met recycling standards and were deemed reusable, Breakspear said. But the policy appears to have backfired, given that thicker bags are relatively rarely recycled and that plastic waste has increased over time, he added.
The amount of waste generated per capita in the state is 2004 and 2021Per capita carbon dioxide emissions have soared from about 8 pounds to 11 pounds, according to CalRecycle data. More broadly, California is pursuing some of the most aggressive state-level climate policies in the country, including banning the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035 and transitioning to 100 percent green energy. Delegation This is expected to be achieved by 2045.
New Jersey, another state with a Democratic political advantage, enacted its own single-use plastic bag ban in 2022. After the ban went into effect, consumption of single-use plastic bags dropped significantly, while overall plastic consumption in the state increased. This is primarily due to the fact that approved reusable bags are products that contain more plastic than the unpopular single-use bags, according to a study released by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in January. Fredonia Group.
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