Gov. Jerry Brown (D) on Tuesday signed into law a ban on single-use plastic bags, making California the first state to prohibit stores from using the ubiquitous carry-alls. Shoppers will be charged 10 cents for every paper bag and heavy-duty plastic bag they use.
“This bill is a step in the right direction,” Brown said in a press release announcing his approval. “It reduces the torrent of plastic polluting our beaches, parks and even the vast ocean itself.”
It is also a step toward what is likely to be an expensive electoral fight pitting the plastics industry against environmentalists who support the ban. The American Progressive Bag Alliance, an industry group of plastics producers, said Tuesday it will mount a campaign to collect enough signatures to put an initiative repealing the measure on the ballot in 2016.
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