By The Editorial Board

California is known for its ban-first-ask-questions-later approach to problems. In 2014, it was the first state to pass a comprehensive ban on single-use plastic bags. Whoops, plastic in the garbage went up, not down. Naturally, California politicians now think this justifies another new ban on carryout bags that will further inconvenience citizens.

 Specifically, the weight of plastic bag waste per capita increased after the original ban was passed. Even a study called “Plastic Bag Bans Work,” done by environmental and public interest groups, features a table showing that the amount of plastic bags thrown away per 1,000 people in California rose from 4.08 tons in 2014 to 5.89 tons in 2021. The report blames this on a “loophole” in the law.

When the ban on thin, single-use plastic bags went into effect, shoppers were left with a choice between paper bags or heavier, multiuse plastic bags. But many people apparently didn’t reuse these thicker plastic bags as often as politicians imagined that they would, leading to the overall increase in plastic garbage. As a fix, the state Assembly and Senate are moving now to crack down on these carryout bags, which have been permitted for the past 10 years.

Yet the legislation doesn’t cover sturdy, reusable bags made of non-woven polypropylene (NWPP), which feels like canvas but is made of plastic. Grocers don’t mind if the government bans other bags if they can sell these at about a dollar or two a pop. But as New Jersey found out after it passed its own plastic bag ban, NWPP ends up in the trash, too, and plastic consumption went up.

Meantime, life gets a little more complicated for ordinary Americans who are simply trying to get their pickle jars home in one piece. California’s legislative session ends in two weeks. The smart thing would be for lawmakers to recognize that trying to micromanage consumer choices is harder than it looks and can backfire in unexpected ways. But this is California, which really is a Golden State for ill-considered progressive experiments.

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