Single-Use Plastic Produce Bags Will Be Phased Out In California By 2025

California is now the first state to end single-use plastic produce bags in grocery stores.

You know those little clear-white bags in the produce sections that we use to carry our veggies and fruits? Welp, those are coming to an end in California, and you’ll now have to either use recycled paper bags or compostable bags. The decision was made last week after California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed off on a bill called SB 1046, which was spearheaded by Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman.

The bill, which is now law, will force grocery stores and supermarkets from distributing plastic produce bags, which are referred to as pre-checkout bags. KSBW News reports the bags will be phased out by Jan. 1, 2025.

“Now that the governor has signed SB 1046, the grocery community is focused on preparing to comply with the new law by 2025,” Nate Rose, senior director of communications for the California Grocers Association, told SFGATE in an email, KSBW reports. “There are many moving pieces to navigate, mostly concerning how to source and scale compostable and recyclable pre-checkout bags for our shoppers in a supply chain environment that has not