CARDIFF — As customers headed into Seaside Market for some Saturday morning shopping this past weekend, state Sen. Catherine Blakespear could be seen handing out reusable fabric shopping bags to constituents to raise awareness about a new statewide bill.
Senate Bill 1053, authored by Blakespear, bans the distribution of plastic bags at checkout at grocery stores, convenience stores, food marts, liquor stores, and retailers with pharmacies. As of Jan. 1, these stores can only offer recycled paper bags at checkout for 10 cents apiece, or customers can bring in their own reusable bags.
The bill is intended to curb plastic waste in the state by closing a loophole in the original plastic bag ban, which was passed in 2014 and later approved by voters in 2016 under Proposition 67.
While the 2014 law banned single-use plastic bags, it still permitted stores to offer thicker plastic bags that were considered recyclable and reusable. However, the state lacked the necessary infrastructure to recycle these bags, and most people ended up throwing them away.
Data indicate that plastic bag waste in the state has increased since the 2014 law took effect. California generated 157,395 tons of plastic bag waste in the year the ban was passed, and by 2021, that figure had grown to more than 231,000 tons — an increase of about 47%.
“It went to the voters, and they said ‘yes, we do want to ban plastic bags,’” Blakespear said. “For the past 10 years, we’ve had those thicker plastic bags available with paper bags.”
SB 1053 redefines a “single-use bag” to include plastic and non-recycled paper bags.
Stores were given until the start of 2026 – a year after the bill passed — to use their existing stock of plastic bags and transition to paper bags.
There are slightly different rules for pre-checkout bags, which include bags customers use to carry produce and other items before checking out. As of last year, these must either be recyclable paper bags or 100% compostable bags.
SB 1053 also includes an exemption for bags used to wrap items such as meat to prevent contamination with other items.
Stores can continue to sell plastic bags as a separate product, in addition to offering them at checkout.
The law saw support from several environmental groups and retail organizations, including the California Grocers Association. Blakespear noted that in recent years, some jurisdictions have enacted bans on plastic bags to reduce waste, creating a patchwork of regulations across the state.
“A lot of coastal cities have already banned plastic bags, and then there was a lack of uniformity across the state. So this just makes it so no matter where the Vons is located, it’s the same environment, which is paper,” Blakespear said.
The bill also requires that, by the start of 2028, all recycled paper carryout bags contain at least 50% post-consumer recycled content.
Researchers estimate that a plastic bag has an average lifespan of 12 minutes from the moment it is given to a customer at checkout until it is discarded. However, the long-term environmental impact is much greater, with these bags taking up to 1,000 years to fully break down.
More information about SB 1053 is available from CalRecycle at calrecycle.ca.gov/plastics/bagrequirements.
