Don't Roll Back California's Plastic Bag Pollution Protections

California has spent years building one of the most forward-thinking plastics policies in the nation. AB 2226 would chip away at that progress by repealing a common-sense protection that's already working — and the environmental consequences would be felt in compost facilities, waterways, and ocean ecosystems across the state.

In 2022, the Legislature passed SB 1046 (Eggman), which required that pre-checkout bags used for fresh produce — the thin bags consumers grab on rolls in the produce aisle — be reusable, recyclable, or compostable. The law was a direct response to a documented problem: traditional plastic produce bags were contaminating municipal compost facilities at alarming rates, undermining California's composting infrastructure and sending plastic waste into ecosystems where it doesn't belong. AB 2226 would simply repeal that requirement, with no replacement standard, rolling California back to a marketplace flooded with conventional plastic produce bags.

This isn't a technical fix or a modernization of existing policy — it's a step backward. Traditional plastic produce bags are among the most problematic forms of single-use plastic, lightweight and small enough to escape standard waste sorting systems, ultimately making their way into storm drains, rivers, and the ocean. Marine wildlife and aquatic ecosystems bear the consequences.

There is also a broader strategic cost to consider. California's plastics policy leadership depends on the credibility and durability of its commitments. Repealing SB 1046 so soon after setbacks to SB 54 signals to industry that hard-won environmental standards can be rolled back with enough pressure — making it harder to advance stronger policies here and in states that look to California for guidance.

Surfrider Foundation urges a "no" vote on AB 2226. Protecting our ocean means holding the line on plastic pollution — not retreating from it.