"Bonta had charged that the companies were violating a California law - first signed by former Gov. Jerry Brown in 2014 and then reaffirmed after an industry challenge by voters in a statewide ballot measure, Proposition 67, in 2016. That law banned the flimsy single-use bags at supermarkets and retail stores as a way to reduce litter and ocean pollution. It allowed an exception, however, for thicker plastic bags as long as they were "reusable" or recyclable."
""Billions of plastic carryout bags end up in landfills, incinerators, and the environment instead of being recycled as the bags proclaim," Bonta said. "Our legal actions today make it clear: No corporation is above the law." For shoppers, the settlement was largely moot, however. Some store chains, including Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, already provide only paper bags at the checkout counter."
California Attorney General Rob Bonta secured a legal settlement with four major plastic bag manufacturers requiring them to stop selling thicker plastic carryout bags in California. The companies were accused of violating a 2014 statewide ban on flimsy single-use bags and the voter-affirmed Proposition 67 by marketing thicker bags as reusable or recyclable. State investigations and a 2023 ABC News probe found those thicker bags were not being recycled. A 2025 law, SB 1053, already mandates phasing out thicker plastic bags by Jan. 1, 2026. Major retailers already offer paper or allow reusable bags at checkout.
Read at The Mercury News
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