MOSCOW, September 30 (RIA Novosti) - Gov. Jerry Brown signed a legislation banning the single-use plastic bags Tuesday effective as of July 2015, making California the first US state to impose the law statewide following a notable build-up of litter, The CBS news reported.
"This bill is a step in the right direction, it reduces the torrent of plastic polluting our beaches, parks and even the vast ocean itself," Brown said in his signing statement.
"We're the first to ban these bags, and we won't be the last," he added.
The Senate Bill 270 banning the bags states that stores will be required to provide reusable grocery bags by the effective date while allowing grocers to charge a fee for plastic bags of at least 10 cents.
Environmentalists who have been pushing for the plastic bag ban across several cities in the US consider this step a milestone.
"This is good for California and reflects our values as a state that cares about the environment, sea life and wildlife," said Karen Garrison of the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) environmental group.
According to NRDC, plastic flyaway bags were the most prevalent trash item in California.
"At least 50 species of seabirds are known to ingest trash, much of it plastic, leading to starvation, suffocation, internal injuries, and infections. Sea turtles, whales, and other marine life also suffer," Garrison added.
Meanwhile, plastic bags manufacturers said they would hold a voter referendum to repeal the law. The manufacturers belong to a trade group, the American Progressive Bag Alliance which issued a statement in retaliation to Tuesday's ban.
In the statement, the group claimed that the ban would act as a money-making scheme for grocery stores and would cost manufacturers their jobs.
"If this law were allowed to go into effect, it would jeopardize thousands of California manufacturing jobs, hurt the environment, and fleece consumers for billions so grocery store shareholders and their union partners can line their pockets," the group's statement from their executive Director, Lee Califf read.
But the bill already covers this concern by including a $2 million in loans for plastic bag manufacturers to allow them to shift their operations to reusable bags and avoid job losses.
Legislation to ban single-use bags in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Puerto Rico is currently pending.
