If you’ve checked out at a grocery store in Los Angeles lately, you may have noticed something missing—plastic bags. As of 2026, California has officially closed a long-standing loophole that once allowed thicker “reusable” plastic bags at checkout. Now, those bags are gone too, replaced almost entirely by paper or bring-your-own options. For shoppers, that means a new reality at the register, including a mandatory 10-cent fee for each paper bag. These plastic bag ban changes may seem small, but they’re reshaping how millions of people shop every single day.
