According to People, recycled paper bags or compostable bags will gradually replace single-use bags over the next two years, with their ultimate abolition by January 1, 2025. SB 1046, a piece of legislation supported by the environmental advocacy group Californians Against Waste, was made law by Governor Gavin Newsom.
“The average working life of a plastic bag is 15 minutes, and over 100 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide each year,” the organization in a statement on its website. “Several studies have shown that contamination in compost waste streams decreases when consumers have convenient access to compostable bags.”
Produce bags are frequently only used once, are typically seen on rollers in the produce section of the grocery store, and are not recyclable.
“It flies around landfills and flies out of trucks,” Nick Lapis, the group’s director of advocacy, said. “It gets stuck on gears at recycling facilities. And it contaminates compost. It’s a problematic product we want to get rid of.”
Bags used for other products, such as meat, fish, nuts, grains, candies, and baked goods, are also prohibited. The California Grocers Association was the bill’s biggest opponent.