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California becomes first state to ban plastic bags
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
The Associated Press  


SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday signed legislation imposing the nation's first statewide ban on single-use plastic bags, driven to action by a buildup of litter and damage to aquatic ecosystems.

A national coalition of plastic bag manufacturers immediately said it would seek a voter referendum to repeal the law, which is scheduled to take effect in July 2015.

Under SB270, plastic bags will be phased out of large grocery stores starting next summer and convenience stores and pharmacies in 2016. The law allows grocers to charge a fee of at least 10 cents for using paper bags.

State Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Los Angeles, credits the momentum for statewide legislation to the more than 100 cities and counties, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, that already have such bans.

The measure marks a major milestone for environmental activists who have successfully pushed plastic bag bans in cities across the U.S., including Chicago, Austin and Seattle.

"This bill is a step in the right direction — it reduces the torrent of plastic polluting our beaches, parks and even the vast ocean itself," Brown said in a signing statement. "We're the first to ban these bags, and we won't be the last."

Plastic bag manufacturers have aggressively pushed back through their trade group, the American Progressive Bag Alliance, which aired commercials in California blasting the ban as a cash-giveaway to grocers that would lead to a loss of thousands of manufacturing jobs.

"If this law were allowed to go into effect, it would jeopardize thousands of California manufacturing jobs, hurt the environment, and fleece consumers for billions so grocery store shareholders and their union partners can line their pockets," Lee Califf, executive director of the manufacturer trade group, said in a statement.

Paper bag manufacturers also opposed Padilla's bill. The American Forest and Paper Association, a trade group, says it unfairly treats their commonly recycled products like plastic, while holding reusable plastic bags to a lower standard for recyclable content.

Responding to the concerns about job losses, the bill includes $2 million in loans for plastic bag manufacturers to shift their operations to make reusable bags. That provision won the support of Los Angeles Democratic Sens. Kevin De Leon and Ricardo Lara, who had blocked earlier versions of the legislation.

Lawmakers of both parties who opposed SB270 said it would penalize lower-income residents by charging them for bags they once received for free. The bill was amended to waive fees for customers who are on public assistance and limit how grocers can spend the proceeds from the fees.

Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Puerto Rico also have pending legislation that would ban single-use bags, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

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Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Puerto Rico also have pending
legislation that would ban single-use bags, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Quoted from Alva White

What about garbage bags and plastic storage bags, are they not single use plastic products as well?

And if all single use plastic bags are banned, and paper is the only alternative, then won't there be an outcry that the forests are being destroyed to make the paper bags?

I use neither. I have a number of cloth bags that are far more durable than either plastic or paper and serve me quite well.

Quoted from 55tbird

How do you handle the kitchen garbage? Paper is a bad choice...I guess we would have to just dump the raw garbage into the big refuse can...but then you have clean up of the interior trash receptacle... I would imagine cloth bags would get pretty nasty looking as kitchen garbage holders after a few washings.

Quoted from Alva White

I compost what I can. I recycle everything I can. Table scraps go into a small metal container which I dump  and clean daily. No problem at all.

How did people dispose of kitchen waste before the introduction of plastic? In our home we dumped it into trash cans which were cleaned weekly after garbage pickup. We've really become lazy as a society in my opinion.

Quoted from 55tbird

Most of us also need a two income household to survive..sometimes there is no time .and you could say we're lazy about a lot things... How many appliances have you thrown away rather than have repaired?. (None)

..for that matter, common lawn and garden tools? (None)

And about things that are "acceptable" to be thrown in the trash, but shouldn't be? Like lithium batteries? or CFLs? (None)

Quoted from bumblethru

The greenie tree huggers love this sh!t!!

Quoted from Alva White

Again, how do they rationalize the ban with the use of more paper. Seems to be a contradiction there. Or am I missing something?

Quoted from Libertarian4life

California should do us all a favor and ban plastic surgery.