by Janine K. Rands
California has strengthened its ban on plastic bags (SB 1053), which took effect on January 1, 2026. Eleven other U.S. states recognize the impacts to wildlife, litter, the use of fossil fuels, and other manufacturing toxins that enter the environment. Per Oceana, "Plastic bags are one of the deadliest forms of ocean plastic, harming marine life like sea turtles, whales, and seabirds, which often mistake them for food, leading to internal blockages, starvation, and death to wildlife."
In 2014, California became the first state in the nation to enact a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags (SB 270). Instead of reducing plastic bag use, 315 million pounds went to landfill that year. By 2022, more than 462 million pounds were thrown out, a 47% increase (LA Times 2024). Less than 6% of plastic in the U.S. is recycled, yet the plastics industry continues to tout recycling while pushing new plastic products onto the market.
The plastic bag industry has deep pockets and contested the ban with a California ballot referendum in 2016. Thankfully, voters upheld the legislation, and the ban passed by 53%. Again, the industry went through loopholes and convinced lawmakers to allow 8 ml heavy-duty bags, which they claimed were "reusable." ExxonMobil and three bag manufacturers deceptively claimed that those heavier bags were recycled, when in fact they go to landfills. The State of California successfully sued ExxonMobil in 2024; four plastic bag manufacturers collectively paid the state nearly $1.8 million and have stopped bag sales in California after selling the remaining stock.
Kudos to the 12 U.S. states that have implemented bans on single-use plastic bags - California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. We hope the remaining 38 states follow suit, but this will take activist work. Thirty U.S. States have a coastline and 11 of them have plastic bag bans, meaning 19 coastal states are still committing the crime of dumping millions of bags into the oceans.
It is shocking to know that 14 U.S. states have legislation banning plastic bag laws, preemptive laws (called "bans on bans") that stop cities and counties from passing their own restrictions. These states are: Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.Florida is actively trying to block local bans on single-use plastics as well.
Worldwide efforts are far surpassing the USA: Africa has 19 countries with robust bans, followed by Asia and the European Union. Ninety countries around the world are aggressively combating plastic bags. Kenya, Morocco, Rwanda, China, Canada, France, Japan, Thailand, and the European Union are among the leaders. Low-value plastics like cups, straws, and cutlery are tough to recycle and nearly impossible for waste workers to profit from recycling.
According to the EPA, people around the world discard between 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags per year. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) lists single-use plastic bags as a major contributor to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Ocean plastic pollution presents a grave threat to all life because plastics never totally disappear. Instead, they become micro-plastics - harming ocean life, human health via sea food, and damaging economies. We should be bold and demand changes.
As a member of the Sierra Club in California, my challenge to the chapters in each of the 38 states without a plastic bag ban is to adopt this problem and advocate for renewed legislation in 2026.