An estimated 300 million plastic bags end up in the Atlantic Ocean each year, negatively affecting hundreds of species. By 2050, the world's oceans are likely to contain more plastic than fish measured by weight. The World Counts Website calculates that globally, we use trillions of plastic bags per year. This is 160,000 plastic bags a second, and over 700 bags per year for every single person on the planet. Even though California imposed a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags at large retail stores, thousands of plastic bags are still being distributed every single day. Carry out plastic bags are offered or automatically given out at large retail stores such as Albertsons, Target, and Walgreens, as well as at smaller stores, shops, restaurants, and boutiques. 

California government officials need to place a complete ban on plastic bags in the state of California, and encourage consumers and vendors to use reusable or biodegradable bags. It is estimated that 500 single-use plastic bags can be replaced by one reusable bag in a year. With a ban on plastic bags entirely, California can greatly reduce the amount of ocean plastic waste. We ask California Governor, Gavin Newsom, and California Senators, Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein to ban plastic bags in California entirely.

 To prevent our oceans having more plastic than fish in 2050, a complete ban on plastic bags in California needs to be implemented in the next 5 years to immensely reduce the amount of plastic in our oceans.