Ban On Single-Use Plastic Bags Is Enacted In California [View all]

[Sherman A1]

Gov. Jerry Brown has signed SB 270, the first statewide ban on single-use plastic bags in the U.S.

"This bill is a step in the right direction — it reduces the torrent of plastic polluting our beaches, parks and even the vast ocean itself," Brown said. "We're the first to ban these bags, and we won't be the last."

The new law requires grocery stores and pharmacies not to distribute single-use plastic bags after July 1, 2015, and to charge a 10-cent fee for paper or compostable bags. Convenience and liquor stores fall under the ban in the following year.

While California is the first state to regulate plastic bags, it's not the first government to do so. Dozens of U.S. cities have banned them, starting with San Francisco in 2007. Some, such as Washington, D.C., impose a 5-cent surcharge on consumers who use the bags.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/09/30/352774915/ban-on-single-use-plastic-bags-is-enacted-in-california