Under the measure to take effect in 2026, shoppers will still be able to purchase bags made of thicker plastic that purportedly makes them reusable and recyclable
For anyone wondering why a new law would target reusable bags as well, the phrasing of the old law basically encouraged stores to replace single use plastic bags with reusable plastic bags. Reusable bags use more plastic so they’re sturdier and last longer, but they were treated as single use bags anyways so functionally we were just producing and subsequently wasting more plastic.
I haven’t read this new law but hopefully it encourages or requires actually using paper bags or cardboard boxes or something if you don’t have your own reusable bag. It would be a shame if it just kicks the can down the road again and people buy reusable bags in the checkout aisle that they throw away when they get home instead of keeping in the car.
I realized after commenting that the new law includes the reusable ones with the thicker plastic too, not just the single-use ones I was thinking about. I’m up in Riverside these days and I always take my groceries home in a cardboard box or two, for the record, so this probably won’t change anything for me.
Didn’t we already do this like five years ago? I haven’t seen a plastic shopping bag in a long time.
edit: single use plastic bags, this appears to be targeting the reusable ones too.
For anyone wondering why a new law would target reusable bags as well, the phrasing of the old law basically encouraged stores to replace single use plastic bags with reusable plastic bags. Reusable bags use more plastic so they’re sturdier and last longer, but they were treated as single use bags anyways so functionally we were just producing and subsequently wasting more plastic.
I haven’t read this new law but hopefully it encourages or requires actually using paper bags or cardboard boxes or something if you don’t have your own reusable bag. It would be a shame if it just kicks the can down the road again and people buy reusable bags in the checkout aisle that they throw away when they get home instead of keeping in the car.
Grocery Outlet in IB and CV both offer plastic bags to me even as I am putting my backpack, or one of their reusable bags on the counter.
Not sure about north of San Diego, though.
I realized after commenting that the new law includes the reusable ones with the thicker plastic too, not just the single-use ones I was thinking about. I’m up in Riverside these days and I always take my groceries home in a cardboard box or two, for the record, so this probably won’t change anything for me.