On September 22, 2024, the California governor Gavin Newsom signed a law banning all plastic bags given at grocery stores beginning in 2026.
California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, signed the law prohibiting plastic bags from being distributed at grocery stores beginning in 2026. The law was passed to reduce waste. However, a law banning plastic bags was passed a decade ago, and with the newer reinforcements made through the law, many hope to see a waste reduction.
The first law to ban plastic bags was signed in 2014, beginning with California. In 2014, California became the first state to sign a law banning the use of plastic bags. Although the law prohibited the use of plastic bags, it allowed people to buy reusable bags and encouraged them to recycle bags to reduce waste products. This change allowed business owners to exploit this law by manufacturing more reusable bags, creating thicker bags, and arguing for recyclable bags to gain profit.
The fundamental problem with using plastic bags is that the material is plastic. The core material used to create plastic is processed through extracting fossil fuel. Recycling plastic products is complicated because each plastic product involves melting at different temperatures.
“Plastic bags create pollution in our environment and break into microplastics that contaminate our drinking water and threaten our health,” said Jenn Engstrom, State Director of CALPIRG.
As Californians, we must acknowledge that passing this law isn’t harming us but improving our daily lives and surroundings. Over the past ten years, California has increased the trash disposal rate and progressively accumulated more trash as the years have passed.
According to statistics from Cal Matters, “From 2010 through mid-last year, California generated about 17 million tons of waste considered hazardous only under state law compared to about 3.8 million tons of waste that met the federal definition of hazardous.”
We generate five times more waste than the value that an average state law considers hazardous. The compiled waste must be regarded as contaminated as it breaks apart, causing pollution inside the soil.
Although we have created five times more waste, starting from 2026, we hope to see changes in the reduced usage of waste, which will lessen as the years go by.
“Finally, with the necessary update to the bag ban, plastic grocery bags will no longer threaten sea turtles, birds, and other wildlife in California,” said Laura Deehan, State Director of Environment California.
Thoughts before Ending
By reducing future plastic bag usage, I hope less contamination and toxicity will affect our environment. By signing this law, unions in California and those in the outer states will have a more enriching environment. I also hope to get more people to recycle our environment healthier.
During my research, I was curious if California has sent its toxic waste to other locations outside California. I have discovered that California has been sending toxic wastes to different states, contaminating other states and countries. Well-known locations where California has been sending waste to include Arizona, Mexico, and Utah. The waste is creating health issues in their nations, and citizens are putting a lot of effort into fixing them.
As Californians, we shouldn’t hand over the waste we accumulated over the years and irresponsibly send them to outer locations.
I want to see more people be encouraged to rethink twice before they throw away waste and take the time to recycle their trash, not for the benefit of ourselves, but for the benefit of the community so we can all live in a healthy environment.
To make a change in the world, we have to start somewhere, so let’s begin by making small changes to make the earth a more lively place.