Unintended Consequences: The amount of plastic bags Californians threw away increased by approximately 50% since the ban became law. Now, California lawmakers are eyeing stricter bans to address the problems that the original ban may have created
n 2014, then-California Gov. Jerry Brown announced that his state would be the first in the nation to ban single-use plastic bags. Brown called it a “step in the right direction.”
“We’re the first to ban these bags, and we won’t be the last,” Brown boasted in the announcement.
Brown was right about California leading a trend, but data now shows that the amount of plastic bags Californians threw away increased by approximately 50% since the ban became law. Now, California lawmakers are considering stricter bans to address the problems that the original ban created.
Doubling down and the loophole
According to The Mercury News, a loophole in the 2014 California law was added by Democratic lawmakers in Sacramento who had plastic bag factories in their districts. The exception allowed people to pay extra for thicker plastic bags, and shoppers, it turns out, were willing to add another dollar to their grocery bill for the convenience of a plastic bags
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Rather than consider the wisdom of plastic bags in light of the law of unintended consequences, California lawmakers are doubling down with an effort to ban the thicker plastic bags. Senate Bill 1053 and Assembly Bill 2236 would ban the thicker bags that people were willing to pay for, leaving them with only the choice of using reusable bags or paper bags.