From Exemption to Ban: California Upgrades Plastic Bag Control, 2026 Plastic Restriction Policy Officially Takes Effect in the United States

With support from some state legislators, the consumer rights advocacy organization California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) has pledged to close this legal loophole. The organization cited data indicating that since the implementation of the old legislation, the tonnage of discarded plastic bags increased by 47% in 2022 compared to the previous year. California Public Interest Research Group's state director Jennie Enstrom told the Los Angeles Times, "The reality is that plastic bag manufacturers have developed these thickened plastic bags. From a technical standpoint, these products do meet the definition of being reusable, but in actual use, they clearly are not being reused, and their appearance is far from that of regular reusable shopping bags, essentially circumventing the original intent of the legislation."

The organization stated in a press release yesterday that after months of campus mobilization, door-to-door outreach, direct lobbying, and media collaboration, a new campaign to promote the revision of the legislation was successfully launched, leading to the passage of an updated and stricter bill that implements a complete ban on plastic shopping bags.

In 2024, the California Legislature voted to pass Senate Bill 1053 (SB 1053) and Assembly Bill 2236 (AB 2236), which were signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. The two bills will officially take effect tomorrow (January 1), at which point grocery stores statewide may only provide recycled paper bags at the checkout; consumers may also choose to bring their own shopping bags for their purchases.

The California Public Interest Research Group included a timeline of the state's plastic bag ban in its press release, starting with the pilot ban implemented by San Francisco in 2007 and ending with the comprehensive statewide ban. The original timeline is attached below, and it should be noted that there is an error in it — the implementation date of the new ban is incorrectly marked as January 1, 2025.

Regardless, at least in California, the classic question at the checkout that has lasted for decades — "Paper or plastic?" — has completely exited the stage of history.