(KTLA) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 1053 into law on Sunday, which bans plastic bags from being provided at grocery store checkouts.
The Golden State was the first in the country to enact a law banning plastic grocery bags with the passing of SB 270 in 2014. That bill was upheld by a 2016 ballot initiative but allowed grocery stores to still provide plastic bags as long as they were reusable or recyclable.
According to officials with the California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) , the result of the 2016 initiative was a “mass proliferation of thicker plastic bags in stores that plastic companies argue are reusable and recyclable.”
California governor signs law banning all plastic shopping bags at grocery stores
“This move turns off the tap to a notable source of needless plastic waste in California: the plastic grocery bag,” CALPIRG officials said in a statement. “The bags are also nearly impossible to recycle. Not a single municipal recycling facility in California accepts them [and] as a result, plastic bag waste by weight has climbed to an all-time high.”