From January 1 shopping in California means getting to the cashier without the option of the plastic envelope. In fact, the state ban provided by Senate Bill 1053 has entered into force, which definitively eliminates plastic bags from supermarkets and retail outlets, leaving as alternatives the paid card envelopes or reusable bags brought from home. The measure applies throughout the state and uniforms legislation which over the years had been fragmented between counties and cities.
The law, signed in 2024 and co-sponsored by Senator Catherine Blakespear, intervenes on a serious problem related to pollution. Blakespear explained that the goal is to reduce the amount of plastic that ends in the seas and coastal ecosystems of California, a state that houses over 1,300 kilometres of coastline and areas particularly exposed as the San Diego Bay or San Francisco Bay. According to the senator, the measure also serves to correct the effects of a preceding legislation which, while prohibiting subtle envelopes, had left room for thicker plastic bags, become the standard in supermarkets.
That regulatory compromise, introduced about ten years ago, is now at the centre of criticism. The ability to distribute more robust bags allowed the chains to continue using disposable plastic, with a significant environmental impact: According to the data cited by the promoters of the law, the pollution from plastic bags had not reduced, but had even increased. The new law eliminates this exception and imposes a net change of habits, both for consumers and retailers.
In supermarkets, at least in the first few weeks, adaptation seems to have occurred without particular tension. A little everywhere, the directions of supermarkets have left the stocks of plastic bags exhausted by the end of December, introducing reinforced paper bags and encouraging the use of reusable bags sold in the store. The managers report generally positive reactions, with few instances of customer resistance, many of which are already accustomed to carrying their own bags.
Card envelopes remain available, but for a fee: the law establishes a minimum cost of 10 cents for each bag as deterrent. For many customers, the additional cost is acceptable if related to environmental benefits, especially in a state where the theme of plastic pollution has long been at the centre of public debate, even for the direct impact on beaches, marine fauna and coastal tourism.
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