(a) Except as provided in subdivision (e), on and after July 1, 2015, a store, as defined in paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (g) of Section 42280, shall not provide a single-use carryout bag to a customer at the point of sale.

(b) (1) On and after July 1, 2015, a store, as defined in paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (g) of Section 42280, shall not sell or distribute a reusable grocery bag at the point of sale except as provided in this subdivision.

(2) On and after July 1, 2015, a store, as defined in paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (g) of Section 42280, may make available for purchase at the point of sale a reusable grocery bag that meets the requirements of Section 42281.

(3) On and after July 1, 2015, a store, as defined in paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (g) of Section 42280, that makes reusable grocery bags available for purchase pursuant to paragraph (2) shall not sell the reusable grocery bag for less than ten cents ($0.10) in order to ensure that the cost of providing a reusable grocery bag is not subsidized by a customer who does not require that bag.

(c) (1) On and after July 1, 2015, a store, as defined in paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (g) of Section 42280, shall not sell or distribute a recycled paper bag except as provided in this subdivision.

(2) A store, as defined in paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (g) of Section 42280, may make available for purchase a recycled paper bag. On and after July 1, 2015, the store shall not sell a recycled paper bag for less than ten cents ($0.10) in order to ensure that the cost of providing a recycled paper bag is not subsidized by a consumer who does not require that bag.

(d) Notwithstanding any other law, on and after July 1, 2015, a store, as defined in paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (g) of Section 42280, that makes reusable grocery bags or recycled paper bags available for purchase at the point of sale shall provide a reusable grocery bag or a recycled paper bag at no cost at the point of sale to a customer using a payment card or voucher issued by the California Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 123275) of Chapter 1 of Part 2 of Division 106 of the Health and Safety Code or an electronic benefit transfer card issued pursuant to Section 10072 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(e) On and after July 1, 2015, a store, as defined in paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (g) of Section 42280, may distribute a compostable bag at the point of sale, if the compostable bag is provided to the consumer at the cost specified pursuant to paragraph (2), the compostable bag, at a minimum, meets the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International Standard Specification for Compostable Plastics D6400, as updated, and in the jurisdiction where the compostable bag is sold and in the jurisdiction where the store is located, both of the following requirements are met:

(1) A majority of the residential households in the jurisdiction have access to curbside collection of foodwaste for composting.

(2) The governing authority for the jurisdiction has voted to allow stores in the jurisdiction to sell to consumers at the point of sale a compostable bag at a cost not less than the actual cost of the bag, which the Legislature hereby finds to be not less than ten cents ($0.10) per bag.

(f) A store, as defined in paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (g) of Section 42280, shall not require a customer to use, purchase, or accept a single-use carryout bag, recycled paper bag, compostable bag, or reusable grocery bag as a condition of sale of any product.

(Added by Stats. 2014, Ch. 850, Sec. 1. (SB 270) Effective date postponed (until November 9, 2016) by referendum petition. Approved in referendum Proposition 67 at the November 8, 2016, election.)