On Wednesday, June 2nd, the California Assembly is set to vote on a bill that would lead to a statewide ban on plastic bags being used to tote purchases and for customers to buy 40%+ recycled paper bags for their items if they don’t use reusable bags.  If approved, it will go on to the Senate.  With environmentalism becoming a very prominently debated topic, nationally and globally, more areas are taking steps to reduce the waste that goes into landfills and dumped into the ocean or into the stomach of animals.  Approximately 19 billion bags a year are used by Californians alone every year, which is approximately 38 million people. 

As more evidence from scientific studies emerge, we become increasingly aware of the impact these wastes have on, especially, marine life.  With a large trash dump that is estimated to be larger than the state of Texas floating offshore, it is quite obviously time to take a better look at the habits we have established.  China and Bangladesh have already implemented similar steps to halt the use of one-use plastic and paper bags for consumers.