California rejects ban on plastic shopping bags

New York City ( September 8, 2010 ) California lawmakers have rejected a bill that would have been the first statewide ban on plastic shopping bags.

The Democratic bill, which failed on a 14-21 vote last week, had drawn fierce opposition from the plastic bag manufacturing industry, which spent heavily on ads attacking the measure as a jobs killer.

The bill would have barred grocery stores, large pharmacies and retailers such as Target and Walmart that sell food from offering plastic bags in 2012. The proposed ban had gone further than in any other state, in part because of support from the California Grocers Association.