But first, letās revisit a little bag banning history:
A total of eight statesāCalifornia, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New York, Oregon and Vermontāhave banned single-use plastic bags at point-of-sale at grocery stores, retail stores with pharmacies, convenience stores, food marts, and liquor stores. Retailers in these states must provide certified reusable bags or recycled paper bags with a minimum charge of 10 cents per bag.
While California has banned single-use plastic at checkouts, the state also enforces a certification process to ensure that all reusable bags comply with the requirements of SB 270. Earthwise Bags registered with the Reusable Grocery Bag Reporting System (RGBRS) in 2018 with a commitment to submit proof to CalRecycle via third party certification, while also paying biennial renewal fees of $12,000. You can see Earthwise here on the official roster of RGBRS.
As a supplier of sturdy bags to some of Californiaās biggest grocers, such as Ralphās, Vons, Albertsonās, Safeway, and Bristol Farms, we donāt take our commitment to reusability lightly. So whatās in the bag? Reusable bags sold in California must meet the following requirements:
- Handle strength for at least 125 uses
- Minimum 15 liter capacity
- Made from a material that can be cleaned
- Does not contain lead, cadmium, or any other toxic material
- Compliant with Federal Regulations on any recycling claims
- Printed text, which is required to be on the bag or on a tag not intended to be removed, includes information like the name of manufacturer, country of manufacture, statement of reusability of over 125 times, and instructions for recycling
