Gavin Newsom bans all plastic shopping bags at grocery stores

If you’re planning on going grocery shopping in California, best to take your own bag.

That’s the implied message from state governor, Gavin Newsom, who announced that from 2026, plastic bags will be banned at all grocery store checkout lines. Instead, they will only offer paper ones.

This decision marks a significant development in California’s ongoing battle against plastic pollution, and expands on previous measures that restricted thinner plastic bags but allowed the sale of thicker ones marketed as reusable and recyclable.

State Sen. Catherine Blakespear, a vocal advocate for the law, highlighted the shortcomings of earlier regulations, pointing toward a troubling trend: the amount of plastic bags discarded per person surged from 8 pounds in 2004 to 11 pounds in 2021.

“We are literally choking our planet with plastic waste,” she said, emphasizing the urgency of addressing the environmental impact of plastic.

The new law, which simplifies checkout options by offering only paper bags to those who do not bring their own, has received widespread approval from environmental organizations.

Oceana, a leading nonprofit group focused on ocean conservation, described the legislation as a vital step in safeguarding California’s pristine coastlines and vibrant marine life.

Christy Leavitt, Oceana’s plastics campaign director, said that the ban reinforced California’s position as a trailblazer in the fight against the global plastic pollution crisis.

The proposal means that California will join a growing movement. Twelve states now have statewide plastic bag bans, while hundreds of cities across 28 states have enacted similar restrictions.

The roots of California’s plastic bag ban go back to 2014, when the legislature first passed a statewide prohibition that was later affirmed by voters in a 2016 referendum.

Jenn Engstrom, director of the California Public Interest Research Group, said the new law is a fulfillment of the original mandate to eliminate plastic bags.

She said: “Plastic bags create pollution in our environment and break into microplastics that contaminate our drinking water and threaten our health. With the Governor’s signature, California has finally banned plastic bags in grocery checkout lanes once and for all.”

Gov. Newsom’s commitment to reducing plastic waste is not new; he signed the nation’s first plastic bag ban as mayor of San Francisco in 2007.

His push for new regulations reflects a broader shift across the U.S. toward sustainability and environmental responsibility.

Many view this latest legislation as California taking another decisive step toward a more sustainable future and setting a powerful example for other states to follow.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press