Starting from January 1, 2026, California will completely ban the use of plastic supermarket shopping bags, a new law that will force millions of consumers to change their shopping habits. In other words, starting next month, consumers will only be able to purchase paper bags or bring their own reusable bags when checking out at supermarkets. The currently reusable thick plastic bags are also being phased out.
The comprehensive plastic bag ban is based on the “SB1053 Bill” signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom. Under the new law, grocery stores, pharmacies, convenience stores, liquor stores, and food supermarkets will only be able to provide consumers with recyclable paper bags, charging at least 10 cents per paper bag, but businesses cannot force consumers to purchase them.
It is worth noting that plastic bags without handles used for packaging fruits and vegetables, or for contamination prevention, are not included in the ban.
On December 10th, reporters visited several large retailers in Southern California. At most checkout counters, plastic shopping bags have been replaced by paper bags, with an average price ranging from 10 to 15 cents per bag.
While some Chinese supermarkets and small grocery stores are still selling reusable and recyclable thick plastic bags, they will have to stop providing them according to the law after January 1st. Staff members indicate that they are considering how to replace plastic bags with paper bags.
California’s plastic bag ban has a long history, starting with the initial ban on single-use plastic bags at grocery and other stores in 2014. At that time, retailers were allowed to sell thicker plastic bags that were claimed to be reusable and recyclable.
Currently, businesses can still legally sell reusable thick plastic bags until the “SB1053 Bill” officially takes effect next year.
Environmental organizations and the California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) believe that the earlier bans did not achieve the expected results. According to the latest data, in 2021, California disposed of as much as 231,000 tons of plastic bags. Therefore, legislators in California introduced the “SB1053 Bill” in 2024, aiming to completely ban plastic shopping bags.
The American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance (ARPBA) opposed the legislation, arguing that banning reusable plastic bags could have unintended consequences and lead to more environmental issues.
Regarding the upcoming ban in California, Los Angeles resident Kai Cai said, “I also don’t like having a lot of plastic bags piled up at home. But paper bags are not very sturdy.” She also mentioned that used paper bags are often not recycled and end up being thrown away.
Jenny Martinez believes that the state government’s ban is somewhat excessive and will cause some inconvenience in daily life. She stated, “Plastic shopping bags are much stronger than paper bags; paper bags often break after one use, causing things to spill everywhere. Reusing or recycling plastic shopping bags could be promoted instead of a complete ban, which I think is unnecessary.”
Sophie Chen mentioned that she has already developed the habit of bringing her own shopping bags, so the ban will not have a significant impact on her.
In addition to the plastic bag ban, the new law also requires that as of 2028, all paper bags provided by businesses must be made from more than 50% recycled materials.