California to Ban All Plastic Shopping Bags by 2026

Under a groundbreaking new law signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on Sunday, California will ban the use of all plastic shopping bags by 2026. This legislation builds upon existing restrictions on thin plastic bags, which were already prohibited, but allowed thicker variants purportedly for reuse and recycling purposes.

The recent measure, which was approved by the state legislators last month, will remove the option of plastic bags entirely from checkout lines. Consumers who do not bring their own bags will now have the option of purchasing paper bags instead.

State Senator Catherine Blakespear, a Democrat from Encinitas, supported the bill, highlighting that plastic bags were neither being reused nor recycled efficiently. Citing a state study, she noted an increase in the per capita disposal of plastic shopping bags from 8 pounds in 2004 to 11 pounds in 2021. “We are literally choking our planet with plastic waste,” Blakespear commented in February.

The environmental non-profit organization Oceana commended Governor Newsom for the legislative advancement. Christy Leavitt, Oceana’s plastics campaign director, stated that the new ban “solidifies California as a leader in tackling the global plastic pollution crisis,” protecting the state’s coastline, marine life, and communities.

California’s move is part of a broader trend, as it joins twelve states with statewide plastic bag bans, as reported by Environment America Research & Policy Center. Additionally, various cities across 28 states have enacted their own local bans.

The original statewide ban on plastic bags was passed by the California legislature in 2014 and was confirmed through a public referendum in 2016. Jenn Engstrom from the California Public Interest Research Group expressed approval, stating, “With the governor’s signature, California has finally banned plastic bags in grocery checkout lanes once and for all.”

Governor Gavin Newsom, who also enacted America’s first plastic bag ban as San Francisco’s mayor in 2007, has been at the forefront of environmental protection efforts within the state.