Legislation authored by state Sen. Catherine Blakespear that bans the sale of thick, reusable plastic bags at grocery checkouts will take effect on Jan. 1.
The Encinitas Democrat’s legislation, passed in 2024, closed a loophole in California’s decade-old ban on single-use plastic bags.
The original law allowed stores to provide consumers with thick plastic bags at checkout provided they were recyclable and reusable. However, the reality was that the thicker bags were not being recycled and seldom reused.
“Californians have been ready and able to shop without plastic bags for a long time, and I’m glad SB 1053 finally follows through on the state’s original ban so we can effectively reduce plastic waste and better protect the environment,” Blakespear said.
Under the new law, grocery stores may offer recycled paper bags at checkout, or consumers can use their own bags to carry out purchases. Stores can still sell any type of bag, but only paper bags can be offered at the point of sale.
The law also applies to convenience stores, pharmacies and liquor stores
“The plastic bag prohibition at grocery store checkouts will eliminate millions of plastic bags from our waste stream, and using paper bags, when you don’t have a reusable one, is a more renewable and recyclable resource that doesn’t require drilling for oil in its creation, as plastic bags do,” Blakespear said.
According to CalRecycle, the amount of grocery and merchandise bags disposed by Californians has grown from 157,385 tons in 2014 when the initial ban began to 231,072 tons in 2022 — a 47% increase.
“Nearly a decade ago, Californians voted to ban plastic grocery bags,” said Fiona Hines, a legislative associate for the California Public Interest Research Group. “On their first grocery run of the new year, shoppers will finally find what they’ve long supported: checkout lanes free from unnecessary plastic.”
Blakespear represents State Senate District 38, which covers coastal and northern San Diego County and south Orange County.
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