Get used to reusing plastic bags… while you still can
As a leader in pro-environment regulation, California has been gradually clamping down on those ubiquitous plastic shopping bags that we so often see in the trash, blowing down the sidewalk, and caught in storm drains. Plastic waste is a source of ground and water pollution, and the production of products such as these bags is a source of air pollution from the transformation of fossil fuels into the plastic feedstock. To prevent this pollution, we must put an end to the production of this waste.
California has been making progress on this for years. We banned the old cheap, single-use bags—but the state left a loophole, where if the bags were thicker, they could be considered “reusable” and thus still be sold for the usual token 25 cents.
But many of us haven’t changed our behavior. We still treat these bags the same as the old bags, throwing them out and getting new ones the next time we go to the grocery store. Do you even realize you’re paying a quarter for every bag they give you?
Soon, those bags, too, will go away. This year, the state passed a law closing the plastic bag loophole. 2025 will be the last year in which you can get cheap plastic shopping bags from your local grocery store.
The current bags are actually reusable—it’s just that many of us haven’t put that into practice. The time is now to start reusing your bags. If you’re getting plastic bags with your grocery shopping out of habit, start holding onto them and start building the habit of bringing them with you to the store.
Of course, there are also sturdier bags that are clearly meant to be reusable, but cost more. Those will likely continue to be available once the ban takes effect. (The nicer canvas bags definitely will, but those cost the most.) Some are heavy-duty, while some are light-weight and even fold down to a small pouch. If you feel like upgrading, now is a good time to start looking at your options.