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Bag the Bags!
Help trash plastic pollution
Single-use plastic bags are urban tumbleweeds that blow into gutters and collect in our storm drain system. They make their way from there out to the ocean, devastating oceanic environments. It is estimated that 60–80% of all marine debris is plastic, which can take hundreds of years to break down at sea. In some areas there is six times as much plastic as there is plankton! Whether plastic bags are in our oceans, our food chain, or our community streets, dilution is not a solution for plastic. Assembly Bill 1998 (Brownley) would ban single-use plastic grocery bags and require that stores make reusable bags available for purchase.
Once plastic bags and other debris leave our shores, they collect in the ocean. The Pacific Garbage Patch, a famous semi-solid plastic island of trash in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, is increasing in size and density daily. It is now twice the size of Texas! And in addition to polluting our environment at the end of their life cycle, plastic bags pollute during production. After all, they are a petroleum byproduct and a non-renewable resource.
Unfortunately, compostable plastic bags are not a viable alternative to paper or conventional plastic bags because they require an industrial composting infrastructure to properly break down and will not biodegrade in aquatic environments.
AB 1998 addresses the problem of plastic bag waste by:
- prohibiting all supermarkets, retail pharmacies and convenience stores from distributing single-use plastic carryout bags to their customers at point of sale (The ban would not apply to bags used to carry bulk items, produce or raw meat to the checkout);
- regulating the distribution of paper bags to encourage consumers to use reusable bags; and
- requiring stores to make reusable bags available for purchase.
AB 1998 will also benefit California’s economy. The state currently spends about $25 million annually to collect and bury the 19 billion plastic bags used every year. Local agencies spend millions more to clean up and dispose of plastic bags. Consumers also pay for the price of bags embedded in food costs. Moreover, the vast majority of plastic bag jobs are in foreign countries, not California. In contrast, the reusable bags industry is a sustainable California-based industry.
AB 1998 is reasonable and logical. San Francisco, Malibu, Fairfax, and Palo Alto have banned plastic bags and at least 20 more cities in California are considering bans. Countries like China, and parts of Mexico, Europe, Africa, and Australia have already banned single use bags. AB 1998 will create one uniform state policy for addressing all types of single-use bags to encourage consumers to use reusable bags.
Bill Status Update
AB 1998 passed the Assembly by one vote, but died on the Senate floor by 7 votes – 14 to 21. Unfortunately, the American Chemistry Council – the main opposition to AB 1998 – paid out $1000s in contributions to Senators, like Sen. Lois Wolk, days before the final vote. Thanks to all grassroots activists who took a moment to contact their State Senator in support of AB 1998.
