If Governor Jerry Brown signs pertinent legislation passed by the California legislature on 29 August, the free plastic bags handed out in the state’s retail outlets will become a thing of the past. The bill the governor must sign by 30 September 2014 requires shops to charge USD 0.10 for a heavier, reusable bag. If passed, it would be the first of its kind in a US state. Similar rules exist on a city or county level – in addition to California, in particular in Hawaii. Brown has not yet signalled approval or disapproval.

From July 2014, the proposed law foresees phasing in the new rules at grocery stores and pharmacies. A year later, the scope of application would be broadened to include convenience and liquor stores. “Single-use plastic bags not only litter our beaches, but also our mountains, our deserts, and our rivers, streams and lakes,” said state Senator Alex Padilla, who sponsored the bill.

The legislation is being called a ban on plastic bags colloquially; however, in effect it would ban only thinner bags. Thicker plastic bags, along with recyclate-based paper bags, could still be handed out at a charge. A similar bill introduced by Padilla earlier narrowly failed due to heavy lobbying by some bag manufacturers – who argued, among other things, that charging for bags could disadvantage poor people – along with union fears that it could endanger jobs in the state.

Padilla’s latest initiative was passed by a vote of 22 to 15 after concessions were granted to the industries concerned. These include USD 2m in loans for bag manufacturers to retool. According to the newspaper Wall Street Journal, state Senator Kevin Léon, who had opposed earlier versions of the Padilla bill on the grounds that it would hurt a company in his district, Command Packaging, turned around on the issue after Command retooled some of its operations to make plastic bags out of recycled agricultural film.

The United Food and Commercial Workers union, which initially opposed the changes, now supports the bag restrictions, as do grocery retailers. The union has said it wants the money currently being spent on plastic bags to be rechanneled into worker training and food safety initiatives.

Statewide grocery chains see the state’s plans as a chance to eliminate patchwork regulations. In a statement, California Grocers Association president, Ron Fong, pointed to “widespread support by environmentalists, workers, the poor and business,” adding that, “it is pretty rare to have such a diverse and sweeping coalition standing behind a policy. This has never been about anything but encouraging Californians to shift habits and use reusable bags.”

Many out-of-state plastic bag manufacturers continue to oppose the plans and have aired their views in television and radio advertising. An executive of South Carolina-based bag maker Hilex Poly told Wall Street Journal the proposed law “amounts to a giveaway to grocers, which will now collect a profit from products that they were once required to buy and give away free to customers at cost.”

According to an estimate by Californians Against Waste, an advocacy group supporting the bill, more than 10 bn plastic bags are consumed in the state annually.