Hispanic & African American Communities Dead Set Against New “Bag Tax” Legislation, Majority Worried It Will Drive Greater Insecurity For Families

Nearly Half of Those Polled Want Gov. Newsom to Veto This Harmful Bill

An overwhelming majority of Hispanic and African Americans in California are strongly opposed to being forced to pay the new “Bag Tax” that the state legislature approved late last month, according to a new poll conducted by John Zogby Strategies, that the Responsible Recycling Alliance (RRA) released today. The RRA is a coalition of three prominent California recyclers and manufacturers – EFS Plastics, Merlin Plastics, and PreZero US – which was formed to help California reduce, reuse, and recycle plastic waste across the state through effective education and legislation

The survey of 801 Hispanic and African Americans all of whom are registered to vote in California and more than 60% of them are Democrats, with a sampling error of +/- 3.5 points, found that 75% of those surveyed believe it is “unfair to tax people who can’t afford the green plan” known as SB 1053. This bill – which is currently before Gov. Gavin Newsom, would ban reusable, recyclable, thicker plastic film grocery bags in California, the convenient choice that millions of Californians use – and reuse – every day leaving paper bags as the only choice for purchase at checkout.

Paper bags cost anywhere from $0.08-$0.10 per bag, versus thicker plastic film grocery bags made with 40 percent post-recycled content (PCR) cost around $0.03-$0.04 per bag.

Key poll findings include:

• Half feared that this “Bag Tax” could cause their family hardship, with 54% believing this extra expense could result in members of their family eating less,
• Critically, almost 50% encouraged Gov. Newsom to veto this legislation, saying that they would be much and somewhat more likely to vote for him in a future election if he declined to sign it into law.
• The deep concern that this “Bag Tax” would force local grocery stores who can’t afford these higher prices to close, with shoppers facing bad choices as a result:
  • Close to 45% would have to go farther away to find an open store to feed their families.
  • Almost 12% would need to get a second or third job to pay for the more expensive bags.
• Of the 81% who currently use thicker plastic film grocery bags when they check out at the grocery store, close to 90% say they reuse them (72% for another visit to the grocery store), and 90% are pleased with how the bags perform from use to use.
• Contrast that with paper bags, which 80% termed “flimsy” and recognized the need to often double-bag their groceries, thus further increasing their out of pocket expense. Just 55% said they use paper bags when they check out after grocery shopping.
• More than 83% said they know that the thicker plastic film bags are fully recyclable and, just as important from an environmental perspective, 53% acknowledge that paper bags consumer more water and energy in their production and recycling that do the thicker plastic film bags.

“Every at-risk community in California is deeply concerned about the harm this ‘Bag Tax’ will inflict on them,” Roxanne Spiekerman, Vice President of Public Affairs for PreZero US, said on behalf of the RRA. “Today, as Californians struggle with the twin threats of food insecurity and higher grocery prices, is surely the wrong time to add to their burden. There is no question that Hispanic and African American Californians are watching what Gov. Newsom does next – and are ready to reward him with their loyalty if he vetoes this bill.”

The poll was conducted September 6-9, 2024.

To learn more about AB 2236 and SB 1053 and their harmful impacts on California and the environment, please visit Responsible-Recycling.org.

About Responsible Recycling Alliance

The Responsible Recycling Alliance (RRA), a coalition of three prominent California recyclers and manufacturers – EFS Plastics, Merlin Plastics, and PreZero US – was formed to help California reduce, reuse, and recycle plastic waste across the state through effective education and legislation.

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