Some plastic bag companies that sell their products in California will have to prove their bags are recyclable or face enforcement actions, state Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Nov. 2.
California banned single-use plastics this year and most bags indicate they are recyclable by displaying a “chasing arrows” symbol or labeled with 100 percent recyclable markings.
However, most plastic bags in the state handed out to customers—costing them 5 to 10 cents each—are not actually recyclable, Bonta said.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks at a news conference in San Francisco on Sept. 14, 2022. (Eric Risberg/AP Photo)
“Most Californians are under the impression that plastic bags are recyclable,” Bonta said in a release. “But astonishingly, there’s a good chance that most, if not all, these bags are not actually recyclable in California.”
Bonta’s office sent letters to seven plastic bag manufacturers asking them to prove that their reusable bags in California are recyclable. Those companies are Novolex Revolution, Inteplast, Advance Polybag, Metro Polybag, Travelway, and Papier-Mettler….