Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a ban on single-use plastic bags throughout the state by grocery stories, pharmacies, and liquor and convenient stores.
The law, signed on Tuesday, will mostly affect smaller cities in the greater Valley region, since Los Angeles already has a ban.
The statewide law goes into effect July 1, 2015 for grocery stores and pharmacies and July 1, 2016 for convenience stores and liquor stores. It allows for continued enforcement of similar bans already in place by 120 local governments.
The prohibition requires that stores offer paper and reusable plastic bags instead of single-use plastic, and charge at least 10 cents each.
Brown and the bill’s main sponsor, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Pacoima, touted the environmental benefits of the ban, saying that plastic bags were a main source of litter at beaches, rivers, streams and mountains.
“Moving from single-use plastic bags to reusable bags is common sense,” Padilla said in a prepared statement. “Governor Brown’s signature reflects our commitment to protect the environment and reduce government costs.”
The law provides for the state’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery to administer up to $2 million in competitive loans to businesses transitioning to the manufacture of reusable bags.
Los Angeles became the largest city in the state to ban plastic bags when it adopted an ordinance in June of last year. The ban went into effect on Jan. 1 and applies to all stores that sell perishable food items, including supermarkets, some big-box chains, pharmacies and convenience stores. Similar bans exist in Culver City, Santa Monica, Los Angeles County unincorporated areas and several other cities in the county.