Oppose AB 2226 – Don't Roll Back California's Plastic Bag Pollution Protections

Surfrider Foundation Helps Kill AB 2226, Protecting California's Pre-Checkout Bag Standards

Surfrider Foundation joined a coalition opposing AB 2226, a bill that would have repealed SB 1046 (Eggman, 2022), California's requirement that pre-checkout produce bags be reusable, recyclable, or compostable. AB 2226 died in the Appropriations Committee, meaning that California's compost-protective produce bag standard remains intact.

SB 1046 was enacted for a clear reason: conventional thin plastic produce bags were contaminating municipal compost facilities at alarming rates, undermining California's composting infrastructure and sending plastic waste into waterways and ocean ecosystems. AB 2226 would have simply repealed that requirement with no replacement standard, a rollback with real environmental consequences and no policy justification beyond industry pressure.

California's plastics policy leadership depends on the durability of its commitments. In a session already marked by setbacks to SB 54, holding the line on SB 1046 sends a clear signal that environmental standards won't be dismantled without a fight.