Governor Signs Legislation to Ban Plastic Bags from Grocery Store Checkouts
SACRAMENTO – Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday signed legislation by Sen. Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas, and Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, D-Orinda, to ban the distribution of plastic bags at grocery store checkouts.
SB 1053 honors the intent of the original ban on single-use bags enacted 10 years ago that allowed stores to sell customers thicker plastic carryout bags that were considered reusable and met certain recyclability standards. However, the truth is almost none of those bags are reused or recycled, and they end up in landfills or polluting the environment.
“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,” Asm. 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.”
Sen. Blakespear partnered with Asm. Bauer-Kahan on the legislation this year. They agreed to author identical bills and push them through their own houses to build momentum for the policy. Sen. Blakespear authored SB 1053 and Asm. Bauer-Kahan authored AB 2236.
The Legislature ultimately sent SB 1053 to the Governor.
The legislation is aimed at closing a loophole in California’s ban of single-use plastic bags at grocery store checkouts, which was first passed in 2014 and then approved by the state’s voters in 2016. It allowed stores to provide consumers with thicker plastic bags at checkout.
The reality is that the thicker bags are difficult to recycle – and few are ever recycled – and they are seldom reused. Instead, they have contributed to California’s growing plastic waste. According to CalRecycle, the amount of grocery and merchandise bags disposed by Californians grew from 157,385 tons of plastic bags the year California passed the bag ban to 231,072 tons by 2022 – a 47% increase.
A plastic bag has an average lifespan of 12 minutes and then it is discarded, afflicting our environment with toxic microplastics that fester in our oceans and landfills for up to 1,000 years.
Under this legislation, grocery stores may offer recycled paper bags at checkout or consumers can use their own bags to carry out their purchases. The legislation does not restrict the sale of any type of bag, rather it simply provides that only paper bags can be available at the point of sale. SB 1053 honors the intent of the original legislation and the will of California voters.
The legislation is supported by more than 200 different organizations and people, including Azul, Californians Against Waste, California Grocers Association, California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG), Heal the Bay, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Ocean Conservancy, Oceana, Surfrider Foundation.
Elected in 2022, Sen. Blakespear represents Senate District 38, which covers northern San Diego County and part of south Orange County. To learn more about the district and Sen. Blakespear, visit her Senate website.