A new law in California will ban plastic bags from being sold in stores such as Target and Walmart from January 2026.
The law, which was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, will see the end of plastic bags being sold in stores in the state, with only paper bags to be offered to customers.
A charge of at least 10c for each paper bag will also apply, however customers will still be able to bring their own bags to carry goods in.
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The law will not apply to plastic bags used to hold raw produce such as fruit and vegetables.
The change comes a decade on from thin plastic shopping bags being banned in the state in 2014 – this was later backed by voters in a referendum in 2016.
However, thicker plastic bags were still able to be sold and were found to be a source of litter as users threw them away or didn’t recycle them.
Speaking to KABC-TV, Director of Environment California Laura Deehan said: “There was a sudden surge in these much thicker plastic bags.”
“The grocery stores felt like they met the definition of a reusable plastic bag, but what we found is that they’re really not being reused at all.
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She added that the new legislation, which also redefined recyclable bags as those made up of at least 50% recyclable material, will mostly impact the bigger grocery stores.
“It’s really focused in on anybody that sells groceries, so it will include Target and Walmart, because they sell groceries, as well as your local Safeway,” she said.
