Starting in 2026 plastic grocery bags are banned in CA

[ElizabethR]

Time for CA designs

https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/22/business/california-plastic-shopping-bag-ban/index.html

[Barbara]

A statewide ban has been here in New York State for 4.5 years, so we've been bringing our own germ-ridden bags to grocery stores instead. The washable alternatives are, unfortunately, relatively expensive.  Looking it up just now, I found that California has been slowly implementing the ban area by area, so it isn't quite new there, and the number of states banning plastic bags is ever-growing.

Even the inexpensive bags can cost too much for what they are, and Zazzle's aren't cheap. Because of that, I've never designed any. I wonder just how well they're selling here.

Colorwash's Home

[Connie]

Yeah, I'm stuck in this dictatorial state, too. I've gotten used to carrying out armfuls of groceries, because I never remember to bring the reusable bags, and I'm certainly not going to keep buying more!

[alissag]

Here in NJ we've been plastic-bag free for a few years now.

[Jadendreamer13]

So what is the alternative to reusable bags in these states? A return to old-fashioned paper bags? What type of bag does Zazzle offer for grocery shopping other than tote bags?

[KeegansCreation]

Massachusetts does this and yes, return to paper bags. Zazzle does sell a tote that is labeled as a grocery bag. I just sold one a month or so ago which led to my first ever 3 star rating. They liked the design. They liked the quality of the bag itself. But the design (which is round) was printed off center and too low. I went back to my product to check centering and it is centered in the design tool and preview. So this one is on Zazzle's printers. I hope she got a reprint from Zazzle. Anyhoo, there is a market for that.

[Jadendreamer13]

Thanks for the info!

[alissag]

In NJ all single use bags (including paper) are banned by grocery stores, but non grocery stores can give out paper bags, which honestly are way better than those flimsy plastic ones. Zazzle does have a reusable grocery bag in addition to the totes.

[Connie]

Even paper bags are banned in NJ? That's crazy! They must have stock in the reusable bag companies!

Here in NY the paper bags are super flimsy, much worse than plastic bags.

[VivianD117]

Zazzle has bags specifically called grocery bags. 

[Mariholly]

In Spain, they weren’t exactly banned, but their use has been penalized for quite a few years; you have to pay for them, and they are reusable and made of recycled plastic. Because of this, most people use fabric bags like tote bags, which usually cost a couple of euros, and not just for groceries but also in clothing stores. In fact, many businesses have decided to use these kinds of bags as marketing because their logos are visible when people use them.

[BKMuir]

I live in California and I use my Zazzle polyester "Reusable Tote Bags" for the stores (dimension (15"l x 11"w; 6" deep). I like that they fold up to "nearly" pocket size and the handles can be left outside the folded package to wrap around my wrist or hang on to several at once. 

I just now checked and the polyester ones are not under TOTE but I found them by searching SHOPPING BAGS and they are labeled as "Reusable Grocery Bags". I have one of the canvas/budget totes, but these don't fold up and I do not think they would hold many groceries. The "Grocery tote" looks like it would hold more, but there is no side view to show the (dimensions 15.5"l x 13"w; 7" deep) 

Here is a shot from my media section of the bags I am referring to

[Barbara]

@BKMuir  Those dimensions (15.5"l x 13"w; 7" deep) are hard to figure out. Does it mean that, if standing upright with handles at the top, they would be 15.5 inches high and 7" from front to back or 13" from front to back? Which leaves me wondering what the third dimension is. Or is it not a rectangle?

I saw microbial tests done on reusable bags, and I learned they're a disgusting breeding ground for germs. You have to be consistent about washing them.

Colorwash's Home

[BKMuir]

@Barbara  -The measurements (15.5"l x 13"w; 7" deep) = 15.5 inches tall, 13" wide, 7" deep. The Depth is front to back, Tall is bottom to top, Wide is side to side.

[Barbara]

@BKMuir 

Thank you. There's something about Zazzle's measurements that always confuses me.

Colorwash's Home

[ColsCreations]

 saw microbial tests done on reusable bags, and I learned they're a disgusting breeding ground for germs. You have to be consistent about washing them.

I work in a grocery store. I've never worked the front-end but know from the cashiers & baggers this is a big beef with them, people bringing in gross bags. Dirty, smelling like smoke, moldy, sometimes even bugs. Even bags that appear to be clean & respectable can transfer cooties, something I thought we all learned with Covid when as I recall, it was forbidden to bring your own bag in. So we went from saving the trees (no paper bags) to saving the planet (no plastic bags) to encouraging BYOB (bring your own bag) which can help germs travel. Sigh. I don't know what the answer is.

My store sells washable store-branded totes for just $0.99, and plasticky totes that can be wiped down which are either Marvel or Disney themed, or decorated with AI art, for $1.99. So super cheap. But I don't think the resusable grocery bags starting at $8.25 or the budget totes starting at $12.30 are much of a stretch really since they can be customized to be unique to you. The reusable grocery bags though, the description doesn't say if they're washable or not so that may be a deal-breaker. (The budget totes description says they are machine washable.)

[BKMuir]

@ColsCreationsI have washed my "Reusable Bags" several times - no problem.

Regarding re-using the plastic bags: Before they made the thicker "reusable" plastic bags I used the old bags to make "plarn" which I used to crochet hats, placemats, coasters, etc. The newer bags are harder to work with.

Here is one of my placemats from a Grocery Outlets store:

[ColsCreations]

That's very creative! Can you put hot dishes on them?

I have washed my "Reusable Bags" several times - no problem.

That is very good to know. That needs to be in the description, that they are washable.

[BKMuir]

@ColsCreationsIf you are asking about putting hot dishes on the placemat (not the tote bag) I would think that anything you can handle without a potholder would be okay. Something right off of the stove or out of the oven might be a problem - never tried it.

[Barbara]

Talking with a cashier at my supermarket and remarking about how the reusables must be a disgusting mess, she made a face and said they're absolutely awful, so the beef your cashiers have is likely echoed throughout the country.

Because I do it, I know the bags sold in my store can be wiped "clean," but I don't think they say anywhere that they're washable. I'll have to check when I go there next.

Colorwash's Home

[Connie]

NY is way ahead of CA in restrictive laws, apparently! We've been under that ban for years now.

There's no reason not to use biodegradable bags made from soy. They cost about 5 cents per bag, which we have to pay for paper bags anyway. And it would help the farmers. This state is just too stupid to allow them, though. (A local small store around here uses them, because small stores are exempt from the ban).

[RMorganSnapshot]

I've never understood locations or whole states implementing this "ban" on single use bags. Well I do, because they can but I'll not go any farther with that. Only in politicians infinite "wisdom" would one wander all over a store putting items packaged in plastic and styrofoam in their cart only to get to the checkout and be forced to use a reusable bag instead of a single use plastic bag in the name of saving wildlife and the environment. 🙄

I have a few bags designed but haven't had any luck with sales. BTW, those plastic bags aren't single use around here. I save and use those puppies for a number of things before they get thrown out! 😆

[KeegansCreation]

My guess is they would also like to cut down on overpackaging in the grocery store too (I've seen individually wrapped potatoes) but those things cross state lines so it would have to be done at the federal level. 

[ColsCreations]

Yep. I have customers complain to me about produce being wrapped in plastic being wasteful and it's like, uhm, are we just ignoring that 70% of everything else in your cart is in some sort of plastic?

[Jadendreamer13]

In Virginia, plastic bags are still OK to use. Years ago, the grocery stores had places where you could return used plastic bags for recycling. But I guess that plan didn’t work out.

[Barbara]

@Jadendreamer13: According to what I've read, only a small percentage of shoppers bothered returning the bags. Also, the recyclers started refusing plastic bags because they were a nightmare to deal with, the bags fluffing up and flying all over the place.

The single thing I miss about plastic bags is that they made great liners for small wastepaper baskets. Ironically, I now I have to buy small plastic bags to do the job.

There are acid-based sanitizers that need not be wiped off, the best known being Star San. I've thought about buying it but haven't as yet.

Colorwash's Home

[Jadendreamer13]

I reuse plastic grocery bags all the time. I mostly use them as wastebasket liners and lunch bags, but I do throw about 50% of them in the trash immediately after unloading my groceries.

[Barbara]

Once upon a time, people shopped for food with baskets and sacks, then paper bags showed up, eventually replaced by plastic, which is being replaced by polypropylene reusable bags. At the rate it's going, maybe we'll end up going back to baskets for small amounts and cloth sacks for larger ones. Or perhaps we'll return to hunter/gatherer days.

Colorwash's Home

[Westerngirl2]

I live on the state line between Colorado and Wyoming. Colorado still has plastic bags, but they charge 10 cents per bag. Since they have a tendency to follow "everything California"  now, I'm sure plastic bags will soon be banned. That's why we now call it Colofornia. Only in distorted thought do we ban plastic bags, yet fill our landfills with huge wind farm blades that cannot be recycled, and, after killing their share of migratory birds, are replaced with newer versions of the ugly monsters, costing much more per KW produced than clean coal burning plant production. But I guess it makes some folks feel better.

Wyoming has not yet done away with plastic bags, nor are they charging for them. Which is why I shop there. I use the plastic bags for a number of things before throwing them away.