Sacramento, CA – Today, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Western States Council applauded the Senate Environmental Quality Committee for passing SB 777 (Allen), which will provide much-needed transparency and accountability on plastic bag surcharge allocations, as required in SB 270 (Padilla – 2014). SB 777 requires retail establishments that sell plastic bags to submit a quarterly report to CalRecycle specifying the actual costs for implementing the provisions of SB 270, actual costs for providing the reusable bags, costs associated with a store’s educational materials or educational campaigns encouraging the use of reusable grocery bags, and costs associated with recycling.
Almost 10 years ago, California passed SB 270 (Padilla), preventing retail establishments from providing single-use plastic bags in order to help protect California’s beaches, parks and the ocean from pollution. The bill clearly states that the stores that provide the bags may keep the funds collected in order to cover the costs of providing the bags, complying with the bag ban, or encouraging the use of reusable grocery bags through educational materials or an educational campaign. However, there is no transparency around how that money is being spent.
“SB 777 is a simple bill to shine a light on how customers’ dollars are being spent and ensure the spirit of SB 270 is upheld. We’re glad the Senate Environmental Quality Committee stood with UFCW members and supported this important bill,” said Kathy Finn, President of UFCW Local 770.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 29, 2023
Contact: Jenna Thompson, 949.246.1620, [email protected]