California: Senator Ben Allen co-authored bills that would eliminate all plastic bags, including reusable ones, from grocery stores and businesses that sell food. The bills, SB-1053 and AB-2236, were approved by the State Senate and State Assembly. Single-use plastic bags have been eliminated since 2014 in favor of reusable, recyclable ones. However, the reality over the last decade is that reusable bags are difficult to recycle and rarely reused, wreaking the same havoc on the environment as single-use bags. Should they become law, the bills require that reusable bags sold at stores not be made from plastic film material. It would also require that paper bags be made from at least 50% post-consumer recycled materials on or after Jan. 1, 2028, without exception.