March 24, 2024
News Story
by Tara Malhotra
"Tara Talks" Recurring Column
Introduction:
In 2014, California was the first state to completely ban single-use plastic bags. This seemed like a successful solution at first as many other states followed suit. However, the Los Angeles Times reported that the opposite effect became true over time. Despite a comprehensive ban, plastic bag waste has actually increased to extreme levels.
Issue:
The California Public Interest Research Group found that there were 157,385 tons of plastic bag waste in 2014, but this number grew by 47 percent to reach 231,072 tons in 2022. On average, each plastic bag is used for 12 minutes before being thrown away. Upon hearing the results of this study, California lawmakers were confused about how the ban was seemingly harmful to its purpose. Ultimately, the answer was revealed: stores were still giving customers plastic bags, but they were using loopholes to evade the ban’s purpose.
These specific bags are commonly found in almost every store. They are slightly thicker plastic bags that can technically be reused and recycled due to their improved durability; they cost a dime to buy at a checkout counter. These thicker plastic bags do not count under the California ban because they are more long-lasting than single-use bags.
However, according to the New York Times in February, consumers could hardly tell the difference from the original plastic bags. This means that the average person was not reusing the bags. Furthermore, despite more bags coming with recycling symbols, barely any of these bags were recycled. This loophole and consumer behavior led to the record-setting escalation of California’s plastic waste.
Solution:
But, after lawmakers became aware of this issue, they decided that California needs a solution. Lawmakers have collaborated to draft the pair of Senate Bill 1053 and Assembly Bill 2236 in order to fix this loophole in the 2014 law. CalMatters communicated that these laws could permanently eliminate plastic bag waste in California, reducing our environmental pollution and resulting health issues.
Other states have learned from California’s experience. For example, New York had a similar ban that was altered in 2020 to include thicker bags and thus eliminate the loophole. Certain states like Hawaii, Connecticut, and New Jersey have only instituted a ban but may restrict the thicker plastic bags in the future. The New York Times reported that the United States is moving toward broader plastic bag regulations.
Though California has faced challenges while banning single-use plastic bags, new legislation may provide a solution to our ongoing problem.
An image depicting a plastic bag. Image courtesy of The Los Angeles Times.
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