Dive Brief:
- California has become the first state to ban the use of plastic bags by large grocery stores.
- The law, signed yesterday by Gov. Jerry Brown, is aimed at cutting pollution in the state. Some 100 local communities in California had already enacted similar bans.
- Grocers support the legislation, which allows them to charge as much as 10 cents for paper or reusable bags.
Dive Insight:
Environmentalists across the country will be looking to duplicate the success of this model soon. And it's hard to see how they could lose. By including a provision in the law that allows retailers to profit from paper bags, backers of the ban win over the most significant potential opponents.