Statement: California Legislature approves bills to strengthen state bag ban

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California State Senate and Assembly both approved legislation this week that would truly ban plastic grocery bags. Senate Bill 1053 and Assembly Bill 2236 would prohibit grocery stores in California from providing anything but a paper bag for a fee at checkout lanes, which proponents argue was the intent of the original bag ban law from 2014. 

California was the first state in the country to pass a law banning plastic grocery bags in 2014, and the public upheld that law at the ballot in 2016. However, the law (SB 270) allowed grocery stores to still provide plastic bags to customers so long as they were reusable and recyclable. The result was the mass proliferation of thicker plastic bags in stores that plastic companies argue are reusable and recyclable. 

In actuality, the thick plastic bags are rarely reused in stores, as evidenced by CALPIRG’s recent survey that showed only 2% of observed customers brought back a thick plastic bag to reuse. The bags are also nearly impossible to recycle – not a single municipal recycling facility in California accepts them.  The result is that plastic bag waste by weight has climbed to an all-time high. 

SB 1053 and AB 2236 will solve this problem by banning all plastic bags at checkout. Customers are encouraged to bring their own bag, but can still get a paper bag at checkout for a fee.  

SB 1053 passed the State Assembly Thursday with an initial vote of 49-5 and AB 2236 passed the State Senate Wednesday with a vote of 31-8.  The bills need one final concurrence vote in each house and then will head to the Governor’s desk for signature. 

In response to the bill passage, CALPIRG State Director Jenn Engstrom and Environment California State Director Laura Deehan made the following statements:

“We’ve known for a long time that plastic bags create pollution in our environment. That’s why Californians voted to ban plastic grocery bags in 2016,” said Engstrom. “The problem is that grocery stores have been allowed to still provide thicker plastic bags, and now plastic bag waste is at an all time high. With today’s vote in the legislature, California is on track to finally ban plastic bags in grocery checkout lanes once and for all.”  

“Nothing we use for just a few minutes should pollute the environment for centuries,” said Deehan.  “We’re hopeful that this important update to our plastic bag law will reduce plastic pollution, reduce needless waste and build a cleaner, greener future for everyone.”