SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) – A state bill aimed at closing a loophole in California’s single-use plastic bag ban passed its first hurdle by allowing stores to distribute “recyclable” alternatives.
Senate Bill 1053, introduced by Sen. Katherine Blackspear (D-Encinitas) and Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), was approved by the state Environmental Quality Commission on Wednesday in a 5-2 vote.
The bill would remove a provision from the ban that would allow stores to use thicker “reusable” bags made from recycled plastic film. It will also amend the requirement that stores only offer paper bags made from 100% recycled material, up from the previous 40%.
Blackspear said in a statement that plastic waste is damaging our environment and harming our planet. The average life of a plastic bag is 12 minutes before being discarded, causing toxic microplastics to impact our environment, affecting our oceans and landfills for up to 1,000 years. SB 1053 will drastically reduce plastic bag pollution in California.
California implemented a ban on single-use plastic bags in 2016, two years after the bill was signed into law. The delay was due to plastic manufacturers trying to block the ban by taking it to voters, who ultimately supported the ban.
An exception to the ban is the use of these slightly thicker film bags that can be used more than 125 times or carry 22 pounds of weight over a distance of 175 feet. At the time, the materials used to make these bags were considered “recyclable.”
State regulators have since reversed that decision, and CalRecycle designated the bags as “non-recyclable” in December 2023.
However, in 2014, state lawmakers pointed out in a Senate environmental quality analysis that this loophole could undermine the intent of the plastic ban, questioning whether consumers would consider such plastic bags to be “reusable” or whether they would be considered For disposable plastic bags.
“It is doubtful that most people would consider such bags to be as ‘reusable’ as cloth bags,” the report said. “Will these types of bags change consumer habits and reduce waste?”
Consumer suspicions that the bags were no different became reality. According to CalRecycle, the number of grocery and merchandise bags thrown away by Californians increased by about 47% from 2014, when the ban was passed, to 2022.
Research shows that these “reusable” bags often still end up in landfills or incinerators with other single-use plastics, even if they are collected for recycling. This in turn increases global pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
A coalition of environmental groups wrote in a statement supporting SB 1053: “From production to disposal, plastic waste is harmful to the environment and human health. Therefore, it is necessary to curb plastic production in California as much as possible to protect our environment and health. .
Plastic manufacturers and recyclers who oppose the bill argue that eliminating the use of these plastic film bags will lead to unintended consequences, such as eliminating green manufacturing jobs and “a viable avenue for recycling flexible packaging.”
SB 1053 has been referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee for another hearing before heading to the full chamber. Meanwhile, the Assembly Appropriations Committee is currently considering an Assembly bill that is nearly identical to SB 1053.
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