SACRAMENTO – (INT) – Plastic shopping bags have been on California’s endangered list for years and they’re close to extinction.

Governor Newsom signed a law Sunday (September 22nd) that bans all plastic bags at supermarkets and other stores in favor of paper beginning in 2026.

It was expected. Twelve states, including California, already have some type of statewide plastic bag ban in place, according to the environmental advocacy group Environment America Research & Policy Center.

Hundreds of cities across 28 states also have their own plastic bag bans in place.

Single-use bags drew the biggest ire. Multiple use bags took their place for a price in the check-out lines.

A state study that found that the amount of plastic shopping bags trashed per person grew from 8 pounds per year in 2004 to 11 pounds per year in 2021.

Story Date: October 6, 2024