California Passes Law Banning Single-Use Plastic Grocery Bags by 2025

You know how grocery stores have rolls of tear-off plastic bags in their produce sections for holding vegetables and fruit? Last week California's governor signed a law that will force supermarkets to discontinue them before 2025, reports the Bay Area Newsgroup, replacing them with either recycled paper bags or bags made of compostable plastic:"This kind of plastic film is not recyclable...." said Nick Lapis, director of advocacy for Californians Against Waste, an environmental group that supported the bill. "It flies around landfills and flies out of trucks. It gets stuck on gears at recycling facilities. And it contaminates compost. It's a problematic product we want to get rid of...." "We're not banning the bags," Lapis said. "We are just requiring a more-sustainable type of bags. You'll still have a place to put your fruits and vegetables that won't leak." The article notes that Trader Joe's is already using compostable produce bags, and Eben Schwartz, marine debris manager for the California Coastal Commission suggests that consumers can also just try opting for paper bags. "It's significantly more recyclable. And it will break down if it finds its way into the marine environment." But he also offered one more piece of advice: "Decide whether you really need your bananas in a bag. You probably don't."

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