Image by Peggy Chai from Pixabay
The new law authored by Sen. Blakespear will dramatically reduce plastic waste, push California toward more sustainable living
December 31, 2025 - SACRAMENTO – A new law authored by Sen. Catherine S. Blakespear, D-Encinitas, banning the use of plastic bags at grocery store checkouts takes effect on Thursday, helping to reduce the immense plastic waste created by California that is polluting the ocean and environment, killing wildlife and endangering public health.
SB 1053, which was co-authored by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan and passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor in 2024, takes effect on Jan. 1. It closes a loophole in California’s ban of single-use plastic bags that was first passed by the Legislature in 2014 and then reaffirmed by the state’s voters in 2016.
“Californians have been ready and able to shop without plastic bags for a long time, and I’m glad SB 1053 finally follows through on the state’s original ban so we can effectively reduce plastic waste and better protect the environment,” Sen. Blakespear said. “The plastic bag prohibition at grocery store checkouts will eliminate millions of plastic bags from our waste stream, and using paper bags, when you don’t have a reusable one, is a more renewable and recyclable resource that doesn’t require drilling for oil in its creation, as plastic bags do.”
The original law allowed stores to provide consumers with thicker plastic bags at checkout provided they were recyclable and reusable, but the reality was that the thicker bags were not being recycled – no places in California would do it – and they were seldom reused. Instead, they contributed to the state’s growing plastic waste problem.
The amount of grocery and merchandise bags disposed by Californians grew from 157,385 tons of plastic bags the year California passed the bag ban to 231,072 tons by 2022 – a 47% increase – according to CalRecycle.
A plastic bag has an average lifespan of 12 minutes and then it is discarded, afflicting the environment with toxic microplastics that fester in oceans and landfills for up to 1,000 years.
Under the new law, grocery stores may offer recycled paper bags at checkout or consumers can use their own bags to carry out their purchases. The law does not prohibit the sale of any type of bag, rather it simply provides that only paper bags can be available at the point of sale.
SB 1053 was supported by more than 200 different organizations, businesses and people, including Azul, Californians Against Waste, California Grocers Association, California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG), Heal the Bay, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Ocean Conservancy, Oceana, Surfrider Foundation.
“Nearly a decade ago, Californians voted to ban plastic grocery bags,” said CALPIRG Legislative Advocate Fiona Hines. “On their first grocery run of the new year, shoppers will finally find what they’ve long supported: checkout lanes free from unnecessary plastic.”
Blakespear represents Senate District 38, which covers coastal and northern San Diego County and south Orange County. To learn more about the district and Sen. Blakespear, visit her Senate website.
Source: Senator Catherine S. Blakespear
