Aug 29 - Plastic Bag Takeback Bill Clears Senate

CAW sponsored AB 2449 (Levine) passed the Senate Floor with a 31-9 vote today and now heads back to the Assembly for concurrence on amendments this week before it heads to the Governor's desk.

The measure proposes a six year pilot program to address the problem of plastic bag litter and waste by requiring large grocery stores to take back plastic bags for recycling and offer customers bags for reuse. AB 2449 would establish a uniform state recycling program for plastic bags similar to one already in place in Rhode Island, and already planned by one of the state’s largest grocery chains.

Over 19 billion plastic bags are generated in California annually with less than 4% of plastic bags being currently recycled. Being non-biodegradeable and aerodynamic, plastic bags contribute a disproportionately large share of the litter problem. Additionally, plastic debris also degrades water quality and harms wildlife that become entangled or through ingestion and suffocation.

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Lanh Nguyen