California Plastic Bag Ban (US – California)

First U.S. statewide ban on single-use plastic bags – California’s Senate Bill 270 entered into law on 30 September 2014.

California Senate Bill 270 is found here.

This legislation prohibits large grocery stores from carrying single-use bags starting in July 2015, expanding to smaller stores the year after. It also allows businesses to charge 10-cent fees to provide customers with reusable or paper bags.

More than 100 cities and counties, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, already have their own plastic bag bans.

My May 2014 blog on UK plastic bag levies is here.

Plastic Bag Levies (UK)

By law, carrier bags have added levies charged by retailers at point of supply.

Wales: Retailers must charge at least 5p for new single use carrier bags from 1st October 2011. Further information is here.

Northern Ireland: Retailers must charge at least 5p for new single use carrier bags from 8th April 2013. Further information is here.

Scotland: Retailers must charge at least 5p for new single use carrier bags from (20th October 2014 is the date in the draft Regulations). The draft document (approved overnight) is here.

England: In September 2013, the Government announced that it would introduce in England a levy of 5p on single-use plastic carrier bags in 2015. Small retailers with fewer than 250 employers will be exempt from the charge. The Government has also suggested that it may incentivise the use of biodegradable plastic bags, which might be exempt from the levy. The legislation is not yet available.