Allan Gerlat, News Editor

January 28, 2014

1 Min Read
California Considers New Statewide Bag Ban Bill

California’s legislature has introduced a new bill to phase out single-use plastic grocery bags statewide.

Senate Bill 270, introduced by Sens. Alex Padilla and Kevin de Leon, would prohibit supermarkets and drug stores from distributing single-use plastic grocery bags; allow a 10-cent minimum charge for recycled-content paper, reusable and (in some jurisdictions) compostable bags; and place minimum standards on reusable bags.

Proponents say the bill would reduce plastic bag distribution by almost 6 billion bags, according to a news release from Sacramento-based Californians Against Waste.

Previous efforts to enact a statewide policy on single-use plastic grocery bags were derailed because of concerns about jobs at the state’s two plastic grocery bag manufacturers, the environmental group said.

This measure addresses the jobs issue by establishing financial incentives and green manufacturing standards to promote the use and in-state manufacturing of environmentally friendly reusable bags.

“This measure will ensure that lightweight, litter-prone single-use plastic grocery bags are a thing of the past,” said Mark Murray, executive director of Californians Against Waste.

The bill is supported by stakeholders, including grocers and retailers, California-based reusable bag manufacturers, environmentalists, waste haulers and recyclers, and local governments.

About the Author(s)

Allan Gerlat

News Editor, Waste360

Allan Gerlat joined the Waste360 staff in September 2011 as news editor. He was the editor of Waste & Recycling News for the first 16 years of its history, and under his guidance the publication won 27 national and regional awards.

Before Waste & Recycling News, Allan worked at another Crain Communications publication, Rubber & Plastics News, which covers rubber product manufacturing. He began with the publication as associate editor and eventually became managing editor, a position he held for nine years.

Allan is a graduate of Ohio University, where he earned a BS in journalism. He is based in Sagamore Hills, in northeast Ohio.

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