The author, reusing and proud of it. You should be, too.
The fight against plastic bags in California has not been won… yet. California’s historic ban on single-use plastic bags would have gone into effect today. Instead, out-of-state plastic industry representatives descended upon California over the past year in an effort to undo this landmark law.
Flash back to September 2014, when Governor Brown signed SB 270 into law, enacting the nation’s first comprehensive single-use bag law. The two-fold measure would ban plastic bag distribution at grocery stores, pharmacies, and other retailers, while requiring a minimum charge for paper bags. California was poised to become the first state in the nation to make shopping more sustainable by incentivizing reusable bags. But instead, last fall, just after the Governor’s signature was freshly minted on California’s bag ban, Big Plastic spent over $3 million on a signature gathering campaign. Californians were left holding the bag with the ban placed on hold until November 2016, when voters get to decide its fate on the ballot.
In the absence of a statewide bag law, everyone can still go reusable. Show off your green cred by joining the #MyBag social media campaign. Simply post a picture of yourself, friends, or family with a reusable bag to Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. While posting your sustainable selfie, include a short statement about why you support California’s plastic bag ban, and tag #MyBag or #MiBolsa to spread the word.
While you are busy sharing your green shopping experience, local governments continue to take a stand against plastic pollution. Since 2007, 137 California cities and counties have adopted bans on single-use plastic bags, curbing the costly and unsightly plastic bag pollution. The City of Los Angeles alone spends an estimated $36 million each year on litter clean-up and abatement, of which a large amount of is plastic bags. In the L.A. area, Hermosa Beach is the next community poised to ban the bag.
Californians use over 13 billion single-use plastic bags every year. The average shopper uses 500 single-use bags each year. Your vote and your actions count. Implementation of California’s landmark bag ban may have been delayed, but it’s not derailed. Post your #MyBag selfie, spread the word, talk with your friends. Together, we can bring an end this plastic bag plague.
