Plastic recyclers: Newsom’s suspension of California’s bag ban decimates pellets market

When California suspended its plastic bag ban in late April, recyclers say they took an unexpected hit — the state’s market for recycled plastic pellets used in shopping bags basically evaporated.

California and other states suspended their bag bans in recent months to try to protect grocery workers from coronavirus exposure through reusable bags.

But the Golden State’s bag ban also has a unique side provision that mandates that the thicker reusable plastic bags that were still allowed in stores had to be made with 40 percent recycled plastic.

Recyclers say without the law in force, demand for recycled resin there plummeted, hurting an already fragile market.