SACRAMENTO – The
California Senate is pressing a ban on single-use plastic bags — a ban that has
a better shot at getting approved this year after the California Grocers
Association threw its support behind it this week, the Lost Angeles Times
reports. Consumers would have to bring their own reusable cloth or plastic bags
or purchase paper bags for a dime.
State Sen. Alex Padilla’s
bill would eliminate plastic bags in supermarkets and drug stores starting Jan.
1, 2015. Convenience stores and liquor stores would have until Jan. 1, 2016,
before plastic bags would be banned at their locations.
Today, the Senate
Environmental Quality Committee will hold its first hearing on the measure. If
SB 205 is ultimately approved, the ordinance would supersede the current
plastic bag laws in various California localities, including Long Beach, Los
Angeles, Pasadena, Santa Monica and West Hollywood. Sacramento
is also considering banning plastic bags. “It is time for a statewide
single-use plastic bag ban in California,” said Padilla.
The California Grocers
Association is backing the proposal because it would bring uniformity to the
patchwork of ordinances now in place. Meanwhile, plastic bag makers are
pointing out that plastic bags are made with 100% recyclable materials and are
reused by consumers for a variety of purposes.
Plastic bags are a popular
topic in this year’s senate, with Padilla’s bill being joined by a measure
proposed by Sen. Lois Wolk, which would put a nickel tax on each single-use
paper or plastic shopping bag. Austin, Texas,
recently enacted its own ban on plastic bags.