Levine Announces New Measure to Strengthen Plastic Grocery Bag Recycling Law

SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys) today announced his intent to introduce legislation to build upon the success of his recently enacted law requiring 7,000 retail outlets throughout California to establish a recycling program for plastic bags.

“When our effort to reduce the number of plastic grocery bags fouling the environment began in 2006, Californians were using 19 billion bags a year, the majority of which were either landfilled or littered,” Assemblymember Levine said. “Assembly Bill 2449 was the first step in addressing our problem. And after seven months of having the law on the books, I’m informed that it has already resulted in an increase in reuse, a reduction in plastic bags generated, and in a substantial increase in plastic bag recycling. Based on that success, it’s time to take the next step.”

The new measure would build upon the provisions of AB 2449 by creating recycling benchmarks and allowing stores to charge a fee of up to 15 cents per plastic bag given to consumers. Stores would be prohibited from dispensing one-time-use plastic bags to their customers unless they could demonstrate that they have reduced and recycled at least 35 percent of plastic bags by the end of 2010, and 70 percent by the end of 2012.

Assembly Bill 2449, which officially became law on July 1, 2007, requires all grocery and retail stores over 10,000 sq. ft. to take back plastic bags for recycling and offer customers reusable bags. Additionally, plastic bag manufacturers were required to implement a statewide public education program promoting plastic bag recycling.

Plastics are the fastest growing component of California’s waste stream – production has doubled in the past 20 years and continues to expand. Compounding the problem is the fact that plastics essentially do not biodegrade. When littered, they become a permanent plague on the environment, leaching toxins as they float through the watershed to the Ocean. Once in the marine environment, they may slowly degrade into fine particles, polluting the food chain and eventually ending up back in our bodies.

Several years ago, a Los Angeles River clean up found that plastic film and bags constituted 45 percent of the litter they collected by volume. Litter collection for beaches, state highways, cities and counties cost the state $303.2 million each year.

By charging a small fee for plastic bags, Assemblymember Levine’s legislation would not only discourage the use of plastic grocery bags, but would also provide local governments with a funding mechanism in a tight budget year to implement or build upon their litter abatement programs.

“Consumers have done a tremendous job thus far in returning their plastic bags to their local grocery stores, as well as in trying out reusable bags,” Levine said. “But in the short time the bag recycling law has been in effect we’ve seen more and more cities in California stepping up to the plate, wanting to do more. This legislation gives them the freedom to do just that.”