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PLASTIC bags found at grocery stores such as Walmart across California will soon become a thing of the past thanks to a new law.
The measure, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, will come into force on January 1, 2026.
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It means shoppers will lose a choice at the checkouts as they will no longer be asked whether they want a paper or plastic bag, as reported by Axios.
Customers who have not thought ahead and brought reusable carriers will only be offered a paper bag.
The law will only impact checkout carriers, not bags that hold raw produce.
The historic law comes almost 10 years after politicians in the state passed a plastic bag ban proposal.
Americans in the state supported the measure when it was put to a referendum in 2016.
Lobby groups and lawmakers admitted previous laws didn’t have the designed impact, but have welcomed this new motion.
“Californians voted to ban plastic grocery bags in our state almost a decade ago, but the law clearly needed a redo,” Jenn Engstrom, of the California Public Interest Research Group, said.
“With the Governor’s signature, California has finally banned plastic bags in grocery checkout lanes once and for all.”
News of the new law, which was approved by lawmakers in the spring, has sparked a mixed reaction among shoppers.
Some have accused Newsom of not prioritizing issues such as shoplifting and homelessness.
“It could do more better things, then this, I mean come on [sic],” one person posted on Facebook.
“We are dealing with more bigger problems then this too.”
“We keep tinkering around irrelevant laws and avoiding things that really matter,” another said.
A third critic ordered Newsom to sign bills relating to combatting theft and shoplifting.
Others don’t think the new ban will impact shoppers too much.
“I’ll be fine without it,” shopper Jerry Cote told the NBC affiliate KNBC.
MIXED REACTION
“I’ll have plenty of paper bags at home I can bring back here and use.”
Californian lawmakers have amended the definition when it comes to what makes a recycled bag.
From 2028, only a bag that has been made with 50% recycled material will be classified as recyclable.
California is not the only state that has worked to eliminate plastic bags from its grocery stores.
States including Maine, New York, and Washington have already banned plastic bags.
In June, state senators in Massachusetts passed a motion that would ban plastic bags at retailers.
The motion would also mandate businesses to charge customers 10 cents for a paper bag.
But critics claimed the bag would have detrimental impacts on Americans already struggling with the cost of living.
“This is going to cost the consumers of Massachusetts more,” Republican lawmaker Peter Durant said.
“In a state that already has an incredible cost of living, in a state where we’re trying to make it more affordable to be here, I think that this is something that ends up being a little bit too much — too much for us to bear.”
Motions banning plastic bags in Connecticut and Delaware became law in 2021 and 2022.
Plastic bags have been banned in New York for more than four years.
