In California, where I live, the governor, Gavin Newsom, has signed a new bill into law that would ban all grocery stores in the state from using plastic bags. Nearly 10 years ago, the same governor banned all single-use plastic bags, so this bill is a bit of an upgrade. Starting in January of 2026, we will no longer be able to purchase those thick reusable plastic bags at 10 cents a pop.
It’s either paper or B-Y-O-B– bring your own bag. Twelve states and more than 500 cities in the U.S. have enforced bans on single-use plastic bags. And yes, California was the frontrunner. So, why go through all the effort? Well, according to a California public interest research group, plastic bags are typically used for 12 minutes before they are discarded. Every year, 500 billion plastic grocery bags are used worldwide. If people throw all those bags in the garbage right away, that could pose a problem.
