California’s ongoing ban on single-use plastic carryout bags, approved by 52 percent of voters, is setting a notable precedent for other states. A coalition of environmental groups, grocers and others are collaborating, and Mark Murray, of Californians Against Waste, welcomes elimination of the 25 million plastic bags that pollute California every day, threatening wildlife.

In 2007, San Francisco first banned plastic shopping bags, setting off a movement that led nearly half the state, including its biggest cities, to do the same. Although the legislature passed a statewide ban on plastic bags two years ago, paper bags are still for sale at grocery stores and other outlets for a nominal fee.

This article appears in the March 2017 issue of Natural Awakenings.