SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys) today praised the Senate for the passing of AB 2449, a measure that would require stores with at least 40,000 square feet in retail space and above to establish an in-store recycling program giving consumers an opportunity to recycle plastic grocery bags into new plastic bags.

The bill, which now goes to the Governor’s desk on the strength of a 29-9 vote, also requires stores to place a plastic grocery bag recycling bin inside the store and make reusable bags available for customers to purchase.

“Californians use over 19 billion plastic grocery bags each year, creating 147,038 tons of unnecessary waste in our landfills,” Assemblymember Levine said. “With Californians throwing away over 600 bags a second, they are creating enough waste to circle the planet over 250 times per year.”

Each year millions of seabirds, sea turtles, fish, and marine mammals become entangled in marine debris or ingest plastics which they have mistaken for food. At other times, animals accidentally eat the plastic while feeding on natural food.

According to recent U.S. EPA estimates, marine debris has had a negative impact on at least 267 species around the world. The plastic constricts animals’ movements and can kill marine animals through starvation, exhaustion, or infection from deep wounds caused by tightening material. The animals may starve to death, as the plastic clogs their intestines preventing them from obtaining vital nutrients.

Toxic substances present in plastics can cause death or reproductive failure in fish, shellfish, and wildlife. In April of 2002, a juvenile Minke whale was found dead on the shores of France – researchers concluded the cause of death was the approximately two pounds of plastic packaging and supermarket bags found in its stomach. Unfortunately, California is one of the major contributors to the problem.

Data collected during California’s annual Coastal Cleanup and the 1999 Pilot Litter Study by the Department of Conservation indicates that disposable retail bags represent some of the most commonly littered items. Plastic bags are easily carried by wind from uncovered trashcans and dumpsters, vehicles, and solid waste facilities including landfills.

In fact, the Los Angeles River Cleanup in April 2004, 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.

Although volunteer coastal cleanups and public education efforts have been very helpful in maintaining California’s coastlines clean, more needs to be done to reduce the waste. In order to reduce marine debris, the amount of waste generated on land must be reduced and disposed of properly. Recycling can significantly reduce the amounts of litter reaching marine and coastal waters.

“California retailers are beginning to recognize the problems posed by plastic bags and their responsibility in helping to tackle that problem,” Levine stated. “However, if Californians want to begin to really address this problem we need to create a statewide program. In the end, the sacrifices we must make are small in relation to the significant gains we can achieve through this legislation. I urge the Governor to sign this important measure.”

AB 2449 is supported by Californians Against Waste, the Planning and Conservation League, the California League of Conservation Voters, the Alameda County Waste Management Authority, the California Grocers Association, and the California Retailers Association.