Los Angeles’s relationship with plastic grocery bags is a murky one. Although the city has, in the past, approved two laws banning the items and a similar one was enacted statewide, they’re still seemingly all over the place—though usually for a small fee.
That might change, though in L.A. and the rest of California as a result of Governor Gavin Newsom’s decision to sign a new bill into law that effectively bans any type of plastic bag at the point of checkout throughout the state.
Let’s backtrack a bit first: In 2014, the state legislature passed a law banning the use of plastic bags both at grocery stores and at retail venues. That being said, the law allowed establishments to offer customers “reusable” bags for a small fee. These “included paper and high-density polyethylene plastic bags, which plastic companies argued could be reused,” according to the L.A. Times.
In other words, stores were just providing thicker plastic bags and claiming that they were reusable in order to skirt the ban. In fact, according to a report by the California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG), plastic bag waste in California has actually increased since 2014—a trend that the experts specifically attribute to the “reusable bags” loophole. As reported by the Times, there was a 47% jump in the amount of plastic bag waste discarded in California over a seven-year period, from 157,385 tons in 2014 to 231,072 tons in 2021.
These new rules signed into law by the governor seek to address this specific detail: carryout bags made of any amount or type of plastic will be banned at the point of sale (though protective plastic bags for things like meat and produce that you wrap up before the register will still be allowed). The new guidelines will go into effect on January 1, 2026.
That means you’ll need to bring your own bag or grab a recycled paper one at the register, and as far as that second option goes there’s more to this new law: On January 1, 2028, California will also start relying on a new definition of recycled paper bags. At the moment, recycled paper bags are ones made from 40% recycled material, but three years from now they’ll be defined as items made from 50% recycled material.
What does that actually mean to you? Start packing your car with your own grocery bags to have handy every time you head out to restock your fridge and pantry.