SACRAMENTO – A landmark plastic bag reduction bill authored by Assemblymember Lloyd Levine (D-Woodland Hills) and designed to clean up litter and save shoppers money on groceries was amended and passed by the Senate Environmental Quality Committee on a 5 to 2 vote. Levine´s Assembly bill 2058 now goes to Senate Appropriations.
"Single use plastic bags are costing California consumers more than $400 million dollars annually in higher grocery costs," Assemblymember Levine said. "The costs to taxpayers in terms of litter clean up and waste management is even higher. This bill would substantially reduce litter and waste. Right now more than 19 billion single use shopping bags are generated in California each year clogging our rivers and streams and ending up in trees and bushes."
Two years ago Levine broke ground with Assembly bill 2449, California´s first statewide plastic bag recycling program.
"By giving consumers incentives to bring their own bags, we can effectively eliminate the single use plastic bag and all the litter, waste and costs associated with it," Mark Murray, executive director of Californians Against Waste said. "It has worked in Ireland and it can work here."
AB 2058 will work toward reducing the number of plastic bags that retailers can give out to customers by the year 2011. Californians now use over 19 billion plastic grocery bags each year.
"Single use plastic bags are costing California consumers more than $400 million dollars annually in higher grocery costs," Assemblymember Levine said. "The costs to taxpayers in terms of litter clean up and waste management is even higher. This bill would substantially reduce litter and waste. Right now more than 19 billion single use shopping bags are generated in California each year clogging our rivers and streams and ending up in trees and bushes."
Two years ago Levine broke ground with Assembly bill 2449, California´s first statewide plastic bag recycling program.
"By giving consumers incentives to bring their own bags, we can effectively eliminate the single use plastic bag and all the litter, waste and costs associated with it," Mark Murray, executive director of Californians Against Waste said. "It has worked in Ireland and it can work here."
AB 2058 will work toward reducing the number of plastic bags that retailers can give out to customers by the year 2011. Californians now use over 19 billion plastic grocery bags each year.
