AB 1998 (Brownley, 2009-10) - Plastic Bag Ban

Summary. 
AB 1998 reduces plastic litter pollution and increases reusable bag use by banning plastic bags at grocery stores, pharmacies, convenience stores and similar stores.

Position and Status. 
Press Release: AB 1998 Fails Passage.  CAW Supports. The bill failed to pass off the Senate Floor, receiving a 14-21 vote Aug 31.  Previously, the bill was voted out of Senate Appropriations Committee with a 7-3 vote Aug 31, passed out of Senate Environmental Quality Committee on June 28 with a 5-2 vote, passed off the Assembly Floor on Jun 2 with a 42-27 vote, passed out of Assembly Appropriations Committee on May 28 with a 11-5 vote, passed out of assembly Natural Resources Committee on April 12 and was introduced Feb 18.

 

Description.
AB 1998 will eliminate the distribution of approximately 19 billion plastic bags in California by prohibiting grocery stores, pharmacies, convenience stores and similar stores from distributing single-use plastic bags.  Plastic bags are a primary component of urban litter pollution and marine litter pollution.  Single-use plastic bags are light, aerodynamic and are littered at a high rate.  Once littered, plastic bags travel through the environment, ultimately ending up in the ocean.  Local government incurs significant costs to clean up plastic bag litter.  And California families are unknowingly paying these costs in the form of higher fees and taxes, in addition to higher grocery costs to pay for the "free" single-use bags they receive at the store.  AB 1998 will require retailers to sell recycled-content paper bags for their actual average cost.  By ending the practice of hiding the costs of single-use bags, consumers will be able to make better informed decisions on whether to purchase single-use bags or to use reusable bags for free (read what Consumer Reports has to say about plastic industry propaganda regarding reusable bags).   

CAW Staff Contacts.
Mark Murray (916) 443-5422

 

Assembly Member Julia Brownley 
State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814

 

 

Additional Information.

Current Language, Analyses and Votes.


Supporters.
Californians Against Waste
Heal the Bay
California Grocers Association
AFSCME
Amerigreenbag.com
Association of Communities United of South Los Angeles
Ballona Creek Renaissance
Bay Area Council
Berkeley Ecology Center
Blue Lotus Goods
California Association of Environmental Health Administrators
California Coastal Coalition
California Coastkeeper Alliance
California League of Conservation Voters
California Refuse Recycling Council
California State Lands Commission
Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority
Chico Bag
Citizens For A Sustainable Monterey County
City of Berkeley
City of Burbank Mayor Anja Reinke
City of Carpinteria
City of Chula Vista
City of Del Mar
City of El Cerrito
City of Encinitas Councilmember Jerome Stocks
City of Encinitas Councilmember Teresa Barth
City of Encinitas Deputy Mayor Maggie Houlihan
City of Long Beach
City of Long Beach Councilmember Suja Lowenthal
City of Los Angeles
City of Malibu
City of Manhattan Beach
City of Milpitas
City of Newport Beach
City of Newport Beach Councilmember Nancy Gardner
City of Palo Alto
City of Pasadena
City of San Buenaventura
City of San Clemente
City of San Diego Councilmember Marti Emerald
City of San Diego Councilmember Sherri S. Lightner
City of San Francisco
City of San Jose
City of San Rafael
City of Santa Barbara
City of Santa Monica
City of Sebastopol
City of Solana Beach
City of South Lake Tahoe
City of Ventura
Clean South Bay
Clean Water Action California
Communities for a Better Environment
Community Environmental Council
Congresswoman Susan Davis
County of Humboldt
County of Los Angeles
County of Los Angeles
County of Marin
County of Monterey
County of San Francisco
County of Santa Clara
Defender of Wildlife
Downtown Encinitas MainStreet Association
Duro Paper Bag Company
Earth Resource Foundation
Earthwise Bag Company
East Bay Municipal Utilities District
East Bay Municipal Utility District
Ecology Center
Endangered Habitats League
Environment California
Envirosax
Flip & Tumble, LLC
ForestEthics
Fresh and Easy Neighborhood Market
Friends of Five Creeks
Global Green
Global IQ
Green Chamber of San Diego
Green Cities California
Green Sangha
Humboldt Coastkeepers
Humboldt Waste Management Authority
JPS Global Investments
Lake Balboa Neighborhood Council
League of Cities
Livermore Chamber of Commerce
Los Angeles County Solid Waste Management Committee/ Integrated Waste Management Task Force
Marin County Hazardous and Solid Waste Management Joint Powers Authority
Marin County Monterey Regional Waste Management District
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Monterey Regional Waste Management District
Natural Resources Defense Council
Neighborhood Market Association
Northcoast Environmental Center
Northern California Recycling Association
Oak Park Neighborhood Association
OCEANA
Ocean Conservancy
One Bag at a Time
Orange County Business Council
Orange County Coastkeeper
Orange County Interfaith Coalition for the Environment
Ormond Beach Observers
Planning and Conservation League
Plastic Pollution Coalition
Project GreenBag
PW Supermarkets
Rainforest Action Network
Regional Solid Waste Association
Rickshaw Bag Works Inc
Rite Aid
Safeway
San Diego Coastkeeper
San Diego County Disposal Association
San Diego County Integrated Waste Management Citizens Advisory Committee
San Francisco Chamber of Commerce
San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR)
San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority
Santa Barbara Channelkeeper
Santa Clara County Recycling and Waste Reduction Commission
Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission
Santa Monica Baykeeper
Save Mart Supermarkets
Save the Bay
Seventh Generation Advisors
Sierra Club of California
Silicon Valley Leadership Group
Solid Waste Solutions, Inc
Sonoma County Regional Climate Protection Authority
South Bay Cities Council of Governments
State Lands Commission
Steven Bochco Productions
StopWaste.org - Alameda County Waste Management Authority
Super A Food, Inc
Surfers Environmental Alliance
Surfrider Foundation
Turtle Island Restoration Network
Union of Concerned Scientists
Urban Semillas
Washington Elementary PTA
Western States Council of the United Food & Commercial Workers
Wildcoast
Wilde Heritage Planners
WinCo Foods
Wisdom Academy for Young Scientists
Youth Opportunities for High School and Associations of Communities United of South Los Angeles (ACUSLA)

Opposition: 
American Chemistry Council
American Forest & Paper Association
Biodegradable Products Institute
Bradley Packaging Systems
California Film Extruders & Converters Association
California Forestry Association
Californians for Extended Producer Responsibility
Central California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Command Packaging
Corona Chamber of Commerce
Crown Poly Inc
Great American Packaging
Heritage Bag
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
Metabolix
Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce
Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce