Human Interest California Becomes the First State to Ban Plastic Produce Bags The ban will go into effect on January 1, 2025 By Jason Hahn Jason Hahn Jason Hahn is a former Human Interest and Sports Reporter for PEOPLE. He started at PEOPLE's Los Angeles Bureau as a writer and reporter in 2017 and interviewed the likes of Kobe Bryant, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tom Brady. He has a B.A. in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master's degree in Journalism from Columbia University. He previously worked for Complex Magazine in New York City. People Editorial Guidelines Published on October 14, 2022 03:44PM EDT Photo: Getty Plastic produce bags will be phased out of California grocery stores and supermarkets over the next two years. A bill recently signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom will ban single-use plastic produce bags, which now must be replaced by Jan. 1, 2025. Instead, shoppers can use either recycled paper bags or compostable bags. The thin plastic bags are commonly found next to fruit and vegetables at supermarkets and are used to separate the items before check-out. But the ban also extends to bags used for unwrapped items such as meat, fish, nuts, grains, candy, and bakery goods. "The average working life of a plastic bag is 15 minutes, and over 100 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide each year," Californians Against Waste, an environmental advocacy group that sponsored bill SB 1046, said in a letter on its website. "Several studies have shown that contamination in compost waste streams decreases when consumers have convenient access to compostable bags," it continued. Poll Says Majority of Americans Are Willing to Pay More to Avoid Plastic Products Getty Nick Lapis, the director of advocacy at the organization, said the thin bags are not recyclable and is considered a "contaminant" of any waste bin it is placed in. "It flies around landfills and flies out of trucks," Lapis said, according to the Mercury News. "It gets stuck on gears at recycling facilities. And it contaminates compost. It's a problematic product we want to get rid of." New Barbie Doll Made of Recycled Plastic Pays Tribute to Dr. Jane Goodall: 'Absolutely Delighted' The outlet said the bill's main opponent was the California Grocers Association Californians Against Waste told ABC affiliate KABC that litter caused by grocery bags has dropped by 72 percent 12 months after the state banned single-use plastic bags five years ago. There is hope the new bill will yield similar results. RELATED VIDEO: How One California Teenager Is Saving Unwanted Fruit & Filling Food Pantries "This contamination is a huge problem and creates microplastics in our compost, and also leads to more higher handling costs and higher rates for consumers at the curbside," Nicole Kurian, Legislative Director at Californians Against Waste, told the outlet. California shoppers who the news station spoke to seemed supportive of the ban. "You see a lot of plastic on the streets," one resident said, "That would be really nice to get rid of some of that."