California Gov. Newsom signs bigger ban on plastics bags after first ban backfired

After California’s first ban on plastic bags brought a heap of unintended consequences, the state’s government set out to address the problems it caused with its first ban – with an even bigger ban.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday signed a new law that will ban the thicker plastic bags that shoppers switched to after the ban on thinner plastic bags went into effect in 2014.

The original ban allowed thicker plastic bags to be sold at California grocery stores for 15 cents. Beginning in 2026, retailers can only offer paper bags.

According to a study by CalRecycle, California’s recycling agency, the year the original ban was passed, Californians threw out 150,000 tons of plastic bags. By 2022, that number had jumped to 230,000 — a 50% increase.