California Bans All Plastic Carryout Bags

Beginning in 2026, California stores will be prohibited from providing carryout bags to consumers at point of sale, with the exception of recycled paper bags that contain a minimum of 50% postconsumer recycled materials. On September 22, 2024, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB-1053, which imposes the ban. 

As background, in 2014, California was the first state to pass a statewide ban on providing plastic bags at checkout, although that law was challenged and put on hold until California voters backed the ban in November 2016. The state’s current ban on plastic bags at the point of sale allows an exception for reusable plastic bags that are capable of carrying 22 pounds over a distance of 175 feet for a minimum of 125 uses and are at least 2.25 mils thick. (For more information on the current law, see the Packaginglaw.com article, After the Ban.)

The new law defines a “carryout bag” as “a bag made of plastic, paper, or other material that is provided by a store to a customer at the point of sale for the purpose of carrying purchased goods and that is not a recycled paper bag.” Exceptions are provided for bags provided to a customer prior to point of sale that are designed to protect a purchased item from damaging or contaminating other purchased items in a checkout bag, or to contain an unwrapped food item.