LA Times Admits California Plastic Bag Ban Actually Made the Problem Worse
‘Unintended consequences’ Newspaper calls for 'a second plastic bag ban'
A Los Angeles Times editorial is asking for a "do over" in the plastic bag ban that actually led to more plastic waste, according to a recent report.
After California became the first state in 2016 to ban single-use plastic grocery bags, the thicker convenience totes that took their place as a reusable and recyclable alternative weren't reused and actually aren't recyclable. In fact, the study finds, the total amount of trash from plastic bags that California sends to landfills has never been higher.
In February, the LA Times reported on the study, which looked at the impact of the plastic bag ban implemented ten years ago as an effort to reduce the amount of plastic waste and encourage the public to use reusable bags. A "loophole" allowed businesses to offer thicker "reusable" plastic bags at checkout for a small fee, but many consumers threw those out after a single use as well.
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California Democratic state sen. Catherine Blakespear gestures toward a person covere
in plastic bags during a news conference at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. (AP/Adam Beam)
But, the editorial board now claims: "No one is to blame for this bad situation. No loopholes were exploited, there were no shady moves."
"Retailers handed them out like candy, and consumers couldn’t have recycled them even if they wanted to. No recycling facility in the state accepts these bags," the editorial read.
In 2014, California tossed about 157,385 tons of plastic bag waste into the trash. But in 2022, plastic bags accounted for about 231,072 tons of trash, which is almost a 50% increase, according to data from CalRecycle, CALPIRG, the consumer advocacy group.
"This can’t go on," the editorial board wrote. "We need a do-over — a second plastic bag ban that fulfills the promise that lawmakers made in 2014 by passing Senate Bill 270, and that voters embraced two years later when they rejected an industry-led ballot measure to overturn it."
The problem, they claim, was fueled by the pandemic, when the plastic bag ban was suspended because of sanitary concerns.
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A shopper carries plastic bags in the Manhattan borough of
New York City, New York, U.S., March 1, 2020. (REUTERS/Jeenah Moon )
The Times' editorial board claims the problem can be fixed by two bills currently moving through the legislature, which would ban all plastic bags from grocery store checkouts beginning in 2026, only allowing paper bags made of at least 50% recycled materials and "truly reusable bags" shoppers bring to the grocery store.
They also call on lawmakers to expand the bill to eliminate plastic bag use at farmers' markets, restaurants and some retail stores as well. But, they say, progress can't stop there and that there should be a concerted effort to eliminate disposable plastic packaging in every state and nation.
"California has already taken a step in that direction by passing Senate Bill 54 two years ago, which by 2032 will phase out most plastic found today on grocery store shelves," the editorial concluded. "As for plastic bags, we can and should deal with them sooner."
