State of California: Plastic Bag Recycling…2006 Plastic Bag Ban, 2010

Earlier this week, The California Assembly received full support from the California Grocers Association to pass Bill AB 1998, which if approved by the Senate on Friday, June 4, 2010, would ban all single use plastic and paper carry out bags from supermarkets, retailers, convenience stores, food marts and liquor stores.  The ban would require grocers and retailers to replace plastic and most paper bags with reusable bags, such as jute bags or sell paper bags with at least 40 percent recycled content.

Plastic vs. Paper Bag in State of California

The State of California will soon vote on two bills which will virtually eradicate the use of plastic bags in California.  California currently has a law prohibiting fees on plastic bags (not paper), but outright bans are permitted provided the governmental agency does so through the appropriate channels.  These appropriate channels permit plastic bags to be banned even if an environmental impact review concludes that paper is worse for the environment than plastic.  In other words, bad policy is perfectly legal provided that the bureaucratic process is respected.

The first bill is titled AB 1998.  AB 1998 will prohibit large retailers and chain stores after July 1, 2011, from providing any type of plastic carryout bag to a customer.  These stores must instead provide reusable bags for a fee and paper bags for $0.25.