California becomes the first state to ban plastic produce bags.
Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed a bill, sponsored by the environmental advocacy group Californians Against Waste, that puts a ban on single-use bags. The plan is to have completely eliminated plastic bags from the state by January 1, 2025.
“The average working life of a plastic bag is 15 minutes, and over 100 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide each year,” the organization says. “Several studies have shown that contamination in compost waste streams decreases when consumers have convenient access to compostable bags.”
The ban includes bags used for other merchandise like meat, fish, nuts, grains, candy, and bakery goods.
Plastic bags have been an issue in the state for awhile. Typically, the produce bags are found on rollers in the produce section of the grocery store. In addition, the bags are only good for a one-time use and are not recyclable.
“It flies around landfills and flies out of trucks,” the organization’s director of advocacy, says. “And it contaminates compost. It’s a problematic product we want to get rid of.”
Five years ago, the state put a ban on grocery bags which have made a significant impact on littering. According to the advocacy group, littering declined by 72% a year following the ban.
