Governor Gavin Newsom’s temporary suspension of California’s ban on single-use plastic bags at grocery stores was allowed to expire, effectively fully reinstating the ban and requiring grocery stores to charge customers at...more
On March 24, 2020, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) issued a Public Health Advisory which directs individuals over the aged 70 and those with underlying health conditions to stay at home, and requires all...more
New York’s “Bag Waste Reduction Act” and the regulations promulgated by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) to enforce this law become effective on March 1, 2020. The law bans the distribution...more
Grocery shoppers used to make the final decision of their supermarket trip in the checkout line. Reaching for boxes of cereal, cartons of eggs, and jars of jam in their rolling metal carts, placing those items onto...more
The Texas Supreme Court (“Court”) addressed in a June 22nd decision the validity of a Laredo, Texas ordinance that rendered it: . . . unlawful for any “commercial establishment” to provide or sell certain plastic or paper...more
Advocacy Groups Urge Senate to Support NOSB - A group of advocacy organizations has sent a letter asking the leaders of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry to “fully support organic agriculture in the...more
Californians narrowly validated the statewide plastic bag ban previously passed by the state Legislature, while rejecting a proposition that would have required retailers to remit money charged for single-use carry-out bags...more
The crown for the first state in the nation to ban plastic bags is up for grabs again. Late last year, the California legislature passed, and Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law, SB 270 — making California the first state to ban...more
Over the last several years, a number of municipalities across the nation have passed ordinances imposing bans, fees, and/or taxes on single-use plastic carrier bags distributed by retailers. In the most recent 188th...more
This week, Gov. Jerry Brown killed off single use plastic bags in California. Senate Bill 270, the first of its kind in the nation, eliminates the retail distribution of single-use plastic bags in the state. SB 270 also gives...more
Environmental and Policy Focus - California becomes first state to ban plastic bags: SFGate.com - Sep 30: Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill Tuesday that makes California the first state in the nation to ban single-use...more