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California Says Goodbye to Plastic Bags
October 2, 2014
California Says Goodbye to Plastic Bags
SACRAMENTO, California, October 2, 2014 (ENS) ? California Governor Jerry Brown on Tuesday signed the nation’s first statewide ban on single-use plastic shopping bags.
Hawaii has had a de facto statewide ban for nearly two years, but because each of the four major islands is a county, the bag bans were approved county by county.
Senate Bill 270 will phase out single-use plastic bags across the entire state of California.
The measure takes effect on January 1, 2015 in grocery stores and pharmacies. Beginning July 1, 2016, convenience stores and liquor stores will no longer be able to hand out single-use plastic bags.
Plastic bags cause litter, slow sorting and jam machinery at recycling centers. They kill birds, turtles and marine mammals that become entangled or mistake the bags for food. Plastic composes 90 percent of all floating debris worldwide.
Read more at Environment News Service.
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