Throw-Away Culture: AB 1998 would ban disposable grocery bags like this one.
Fossil Bags
Statewide plastic bag ban heads to Assembly vote.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
A state bill to ban single-use grocery bags, AB 1998, passed out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee May 28 and is headed to a full Assembly vote Friday, June 4.
The bill has been framed as a transition away from petroleum-based plastic grocery bags, but it also would ban all other forms of single-use grocery and drug store bags, including those made of paper and biodegradable plastic. Instead, it would force a shift to reusable bags.
AB 1998 is supported by a spectrum of green groups such as Environment California and Surfrider Foundation - as well as, perhaps surprisingly, the California Grocers Association. The industry group has said it likes the bill's consistency across the state, as opposed to the variety of bag bans that have been considered by individual cities.
If passed and signed by the governor, it will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2012.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID