California Enacts Statewide Ban on Plastic Shopping Bags
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iStock/Thinkstock(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — California has become the first state in the country to make it illegal for grocery stores to give out plastic grocery bags.
While many cities had already banned the bags, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill Tuesday banning them up and down California.
“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,” Brown said in a statement. “We’re the first to ban these bags, and we won’t be the last.”
Under the legislation, grocery stores and pharmacies are banned from distributing the bags after July 2015. Convenience and liquor stores will be subject to the change the following year.
The bill will also provide up to $2 million in competitive loans for businesses to transition to reusable bags.
Lawmakers are touting it as a win for the environment, but critics say it won’t help.
Bag makers are already trying for a voter referendum to repeal the new law.
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