California is preparing for one of its biggest environmental policy shifts in years as a new statewide law phases out all plastic checkout bags – including the thicker “reusable” versions that have become common since the state’s first plastic-bag ban took effect in 2016.
Beginning January 1, 2026, grocery stores, convenience stores, pharmacies, liquor stores and other retail shops will no longer be allowed to offer any type of plastic carryout bag to customers at the register. The change comes under Senate Bill 1053, part of the state’s growing effort to cut down on plastic waste that often ends up in landfills, waterways, and the ocean.
For nearly a decade, California allowed stores to provide heavier-duty plastic bags as long as customers paid a small fee and the bags met reuse standards. But environmental groups and lawmakers argued that those bags were rarely reused and had, in practice, created more waste. Many cities reported an increase in discarded “reusable” plastic bags on roadsides and in recycling facilities unequipped to process them.
Under the new rules, retailers will be limited to offering paper bags made from recycled material, still for a minimum 10-cent charge. Customers are encouraged to bring their own reusable cloth or durable bags whenever possible. Plastic bags used in the produce section aren’t part of that ban. The law creates an exception for “bags provided to a customer before checkout, to contain unwrapped food items” (e.g. produce, bulk items, meat).
Local stores across Contra Costa County are already preparing for the change. Some say they will transition early to get customers used to the shift, while others expect a slight learning curve as shoppers adjust to bringing their own bags consistently.
Despite the debate, the statewide transition is on track, and by early 2026, plastic checkout bags – once a symbol of convenience – will disappear from California’s grocery aisles for good.
This is an attack on our ‘unhoused neighbors’ you use these bags as a form of luggage.
Won’t mean squat because EVERYONE would have to ban plastic for it to be effective. Just another nanny state pile of BS!!!
Remember, democrat politicians saved us from those
plastic straws . . . . . . . .
.
Not a plastic straw in sight,
https://patriotpost.us/memes/115205-is-it-helping-2025-03-08
And… the 10 cents they charge for a bag does not go to help environmental efforts. It goes to the retailer.
no doubt and they probably pay less than a penny per bag!
I don’t mind it at all. I don’t do much shopping in the grocery store. Have a strategy and usually head out of the store with no more than 2 bags. I will make a point of bringing in cloth bags or ones I save back.
But, I did get an earfull the other day from a clerk at a Walnut Creek Safeway. I was last customer. In short, he was not for it to say it nicely. I listened. He ended up double bagging for me and I thanked him for his input.
Mort DeSourair should do a town hall meeting on the state plastic bag ban.
It’s about time California Bans Plastic Checkout Bags! They should of ban plastics bags years ago
Yes George it will make such a difference when 1 state bans them but the rest of the states don’t or how about the biggest polluters such as China or India!?! Yeah, you’re it is about time Commirfornia slapped some more virtue signaling nanny state BS on us right!?!
Yes our elected officials do a great job of prioritizing.
Crime and Violence are way down the list from plastic bags.
This is the kind of California silliness that I do not miss. We reuse plastic bags in our household, and if I’m shopping a Walmart, I never overload any of my plastic bags, and I always double bag the heavy stuff.
Sounds like you got out, good for you! jealous and excited to find out that the rest of our country isn’t like CA.
I am NOT happy about this. I reuse plastic bags all the time in various ways. I carry them in my car for groceries. I get most of it from the Salvation Army food pantries. They don’t bag the groceries very well, so I have to re-bag them to make it easier for transport. When I get home, I have to figure out how to load the groceries onto my rollator. Also, when I go to Loaves & Fishes for a hot meal, they sometimes give me a few groceries to take home. I do have a couple of large tote bags that I use, but I still need plastic bags first before I can load them into tote bags or into my backpack. So am I gonna hafta try to buy plastic bags now? This isn’t fair!
You can still use the plastic bags you bring to the store.
It’s just the store won’t sell you a plastic bag anymore.
So some bureaucrat somewhere is entitled to make that granular a decision about that tiny aspect of my life (and all businesses in California) and dictate the choices I can make? And you’re OK with that?
Do you remember the 90’s? We were told that plastic was an experimental product that could not be trusted and couldn’t be recycled.
Do you remember the 2000s? We were told that paper bags were the devil and the lead cause of deforestation in the Amazon.
Do you remember the 2010s? We were told that plastic bags were the devil and caused waste in landfills.
Do you remember 2020? We were told that reusable plastic bags were necessary because… of COVID.. IT’S A PANDEMIC!
Do you remember today? Politicians are still lying to you and continuing to try to control the minutia of your life.
Stop whining and bring bags. It takes such a small effort. For as much complaining I hear from the people who post here about the inefficiencies of others, this simple task that’s better for everyone overall seems to be some huge ask of you. Get over it and bring a bag.
Jessica, stop whining and let us keep getting plastic bags from the stores and remember… it isn’t just grocery stores…. it is ALL stores in California.
I’ve seen some really filthy cloth bags brought in. Even the checker was grossed out.
But to each their own. I see dirt, they see earth…….