The U.S. state of California has passed the first statewide legislation in the nation banning single-use plastic bags.

The bags will be outlawed in grocery and convenience stores to cut down on litter damaging to the environment.

The bill, signed by Governor Jerry Brown, will take effect next July.

Plastic manufacturers have challenged the move, however, claiming it will lead to the loss of thousands of jobs and allow grocers to profit from new paper bag fees.

“This bill is a step in the right direction. It reduces the torrent of plastic polluting our beaches, parks and even the vast ocean itself,” Brown wrote in a statement Sept. 30.

It also prohibits stores from selling recycled paper bags at the point of sale unless the store makes the bag available for purchase for not more than $0.10, according to the legislation.

Larger grocers, including Wal-Mart and Target, will be required to comply with the law beginning in July 2015, while convenience stores and food marts will have until July 2016.

Plastics trade group The American Progressive Bag Alliance had lobbied hard to stop the ban prior to its passage, but to no avail.

“If this law were allowed to go into effect, it would jeopardize thousands of California manufacturing jobs, hurt the environment and fleece consumers for billions so grocery store shareholders and their union partners can line their pockets,” Lee Califf, executive director of the manufacturer trade group, told media.

But the bill’s supporters have argued extra fees can be avoided by using reusable bags when shopping.

Though California is the first U.S. state to ban plastic bags, more than 100 cities — including Chicago and Seattle — have already outlawed them.

加利福尼亚发布美国首个全州限塑令

加利福尼亚州通过了美国第一个全州范围的限塑令，禁止使用一次性塑料袋。

法律将禁止在杂货店和便利店使用塑料袋以减少垃圾对环境造成的危害。

这个由加州州长杰瑞·布朗签署的提案将于明年7月起生效。

然而，塑料制造商反对这一举措，声称这会减少上千个就业岗位，并使杂货店从收取纸袋的费用中获利。

布朗9月30日在声明中写到，“这项法案的方向是走正确的，它减轻了大量使用塑料对海滩、公园，甚至海洋本身的污染。”

根据法律，商店禁止在收银柜台边以高于0.1美元的价格出售可回收纸袋。

包括沃尔玛和塔吉特在内的大型超市须从2015年7月起实施这项法律，而便利店和食品市场则从2016年7月开始。

塑料行业组织美国包装袋发展联盟努力游说，试图阻止这项法律，但是毫无用处。

该制造商组织的执行理事李·

卡利夫告诉媒体，“这项法律一旦获准实施，将危及加利福尼亚上千份制造业工作，破坏环境，剥削消费者上亿美元，让超市股东和他们的合作伙伴中饱私囊。”

而这项法案的支持者们争辩道，购物时自带可重复使用的购物袋则不必额外支出纸袋费用。

尽管加利福尼亚州是美国第一个禁塑的州，包括芝加哥和西雅图在内的100多个城市早已立法禁塑。

    Words to Learn 相关词汇

   【收银台】

    shōuyíntái

    point of sale

    also called POS or checkout, it is the place where a retail transaction is completed

    【没有用】

    méiyǒuyòng

    to no avail

    with no effect; unsuccessful