The California plastic bag ban, which Promo Marketing first reported on June 30, extended to the city Santa Monica today, September 1. The ban prohibits the use of disposable plastic bags by grocery stores and retailers, and requires those establishments to provide recyclable paper or reusable plastic bags to shoppers.
Originally passed on November 16, 2010, the ban defines the prohibited bags as any “made predominantly of plastic derived from either petroleum or a biologically-based source, such as corn or other plant sources, which is provided to a customer at the point of sale.” The ban includes recyclable and compostable plastic bags, although recyclable plastic bags at least 2.25 mil thick which have a minimum lifespan of 125 uses may be used. Customers are still allowed to use bags of any type that they bring to the store themselves.
Santa Monica is only the most recent California city to adopt a ban on disposable plastic bags. Similar bans were enacted in Los Angeles and Calabasas on July 1, 2011, and Long Beach on August 1, 2011. Disposable bags have been banned in San Francisco since 2007 and in Malibu, Calif., since 2009. San Jose has approved a similar ban, set to go into effect on January 1, 2012.
