California bans plastic bags in supermarkets, which could increase the spread of disease

California bans plastic bags in supermarkets, which could increase the spread of disease
(Image: Screen grab of YouTube video)

A law signed today by California Governor Gavin Newsom bans all plastic shopping bags. California had already banned thin plastic shopping bags at supermarkets and other stores, but shoppers could still buy bags made with a thicker plastic that supposedly made them reusable and recyclable. The legislation, approved by state legislators last month, bans all plastic shopping bags in California starting in 2026. The Washington Times reports that “12 states already have some type of statewide plastic bag ban in place…Hundreds of cities across 28 states also have their own plastic bag bans in place.”

Advocates of plastic bag bans would like people to use cloth bags instead of plastic bags, even though cloth bags are more likely to spread disease. During the Covid-19 pandemic, some cities and states banned cloth bags and other reusable shopping bags, to curb the spread of the disease, “requiring that stores use disposable plastic or paper bags instead.”

Reusable bags “are a breeding ground for bacteria and pose public health risks — food poisoning, skin infections such as bacterial boils, allergic reactions, triggering of asthma attacks, and ear infections,” noted a 2009 report.  Harmful bacteria like E. coli, salmonella, and fecal coliform thrive in reusable bags unless they are washed after each use, according to an August 2011 peer-reviewed study, “Assessment of the Potential for Cross-contamination of Food Products by Reusable Shopping Bags.”

Cloth bags are worse for public health and the environment. As Daniel Frank sarcastically notes, “Reusable tote bags” can “cause food poisoning but at least they’re worse for the environment than plastic bags.” He cites Jon Passantino of BuzzFeed News, who observes, “Those cotton tote bags that are so trendy right now have to be used *131 times* before it has a smaller climate impact than a plastic bag used only once.” Yet, there are progressives who want to ban plastic grocery bags in favor of reusable cloth bags.

California’s ban on plastic bags will do little for the ocean. Plastic bags are less than 1% of all litter. Most plastic in the ocean comes from China, India, and Indonesia, while only a tiny percentage comes from the U.S.

The lack of benefit from cloth bags is illustrated by a 2011 legal settlement between plastic bag makers and an importer of reusable bags, ChicoBag. The plastic bag makers sued ChicoBag for its use of false claims about the recycling rate and environmental impacts of plastic grocery bags in its promotional materials. (Those false claims are also the basis for municipal bans and taxes on plastic bags.) Under that settlement, ChicoBag was required to discontinue its use of its counterfeit EPA website and make corrections to its deceptive marketing claims, which had included sharing falsified government documents with schoolchildren. It was also required to disclose to consumers on its website that reusable bags in fact need to be washed.

Hans Bader

Hans Bader

Hans Bader practices law in Washington, D.C. After studying economics and history at the University of Virginia and law at Harvard, he practiced civil-rights, international-trade, and constitutional law. He also once worked in the Education Department. Hans writes for CNSNews.com and has appeared on C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal.” Contact him at hfb138@yahoo.com

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