Here are the most current details regarding the plastic bag ban in California being put on hold.
Today’s post is by Tyler Walther, Account Manager for SafeSourcing
The first statewide ban on single use plastic bags in the nation will not go into effect this summer as previously thought. The Secretary of State in California’s office stated Tuesday that a referendum to overturn the bill has qualified for the November 2016 ballot.
The state of California acknowledged that the trade association American Progressive Bag Alliance (APBA) attained at least 110 percent of the 504,760 confirmed signatures needed to qualify its measure to reverse the plastic bag ban. Accordingly, the unprecedented law is now delayed until California pollsters vote in 2016.
California Governor, Jerry Brown, ratified last September and originally set to go into effect this July, the ban would require large grocery stores and supermarkets such as Wal-Mart and Target to charge at least 10 cents for each recycled paper bag or reusable bag given to consumers. The plastic bag industry has argued that the ban has little to do with the environment and was a scheme by the California Grocers Association to make money off the 10-cent fee. The law also grants $2 million in loans to help plastic bag manufacturers transition their businesses to manufacture reusable bags.
Many believe Californians will support the ban on plastic bags. Plastic bags litter the streets and oceans of California, often killing the marine animals that swallow them. Reports state plastic bags could take as long as 1,000 years to biodegrade, making them a significant environmental concern.
There are currently more than 100 city ordinances banning plastic bags already existing throughout California, and will not be affected during the voter legislation period.
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