SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California Governor Jerry Brown has signed the nation's first statewide ban on single-use plastic bags, aligning state law with ordinances passed by a growing number of local governments in California to reduce plastic waste.
The legislation (SB 270), authored by State Senator Alex Padilla (D), prohibits grocery stores and pharmacies from distributing single-use plastic bags after July 2015 and enacts the same ban for convenience stores and liquor stores the following year.
It will also provide up to $2 million in competitive loans, administered by CalRecycle, to businesses transitioning to the manufacture of reusable bags.
"This bill is a step in the right direction--it reduces the torrent of plastic polluting our beaches, parks and even the vast ocean itself," said Brown. "We're the first to ban these bags, and we won't be the last."
More than 120 local governments in California have passed ordinances banning single-use bags in some fashion, with widespread support from community and environmental groups.
"I applaud Governor Brown for signing SB 270 into law," said Padilla. "A throwaway society is not sustainable. This new law will greatly reduce the flow of billions of single-use plastic bags that litter our communities and harm our environment each year. Moving from single-use plastic bags to reusable bags is common sense. Governor Brown's signature reflects our commitment to protect the environment and reduce government costs."
Click here to view the full text of the bill.
Plastic bag manufacturers have pushed back aggressively through their trade group, the American Progressive Bag Alliance, which aired commercials in California blasting the ban as a cash-giveaway to grocers that would lead to a loss of thousands of manufacturing jobs, said an Associated Press report.
"If this law were allowed to go into effect, it would jeopardize thousands of California manufacturing jobs, hurt the environment, and fleece consumers for billions so grocery store shareholders and their union partners can line their pockets," Lee Califf, executive director of the manufacturer trade group, said in a statement cited by the news agency.
Paper bag manufacturers also opposed Padilla's bill. The American Forest & Paper Association, a trade group, said it unfairly treats their commonly recycled products like plastic, while holding reusable plastic bags to a lower standard for recyclable content.
Lawmakers of both parties who opposed SB 270 said it would penalize lower-income residents by charging them for bags they once received for free. The bill was amended to waive fees for customers who are on public assistance and limit how grocers can spend the proceeds from the fees.
Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Puerto Rico also have pending legislation that would ban single-use bags, according to AP, citing the National Conference of State Legislatures.
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