Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom declared war on plastic bag manufacturers Friday with a sweeping lawsuit targeting companies accused of deceiving shoppers for years.
Newsom’s Attorney General (AG) Rob Bonta sued Novolex, Inteplast, and Mettler for allegedly violating environmental marketing claims, false advertising, and unfair competition laws, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
Bonta’s investigation found only two recycling facilities in the state claimed to accept plastic bags. However, neither could confirm they actually recycled them.
“Even when consumers have properly disposed of these bags, they’ve overwhelmingly not been recycled in California,” Bonta said, according to WSJ. “The thing is, producers knew, or should have known this fact years ago.”
Before the lawsuit, four plastic bag producers settled with the state. Revolution Sustainable Solutions, Metro Poly, PreZero US Packaging, and Advance Polybag agreed to stop selling plastic bags in California and pay more than $1.75 million combined.
Advance Polybag denied the allegations but said settling made business sense. “We stand firmly behind the quality and compliance of our products,” said Rex Varn, the company’s chief operating officer, WSJ reported. “Our reusable checkout bags meet the recyclability standards required by law. However, after careful consideration of the costs, burdens, and uncertainties of prolonged litigation, we determined that resolving this matter was the most prudent business decision.”
According to Bonta, the seven companies involved control most of California’s plastic bag market. They provided billions of bags to grocers while certifying the bags met recycling requirements.
The investigation began in 2022 when Bonta asked manufacturers to prove their recyclability claims. Instead, officials discovered billions of plastic bags ended up in landfills, incinerators, and the environment.
“Despite the manufacturers’ claims and widespread consumer belief, these plastic bags do not, in fact, appear to generally be recyclable, let alone ‘recyclable in the state,’” Bonta said.
https://dailycaller.com/2025/10/20/california-sues-plastic-bag-makers-recycling-fraud-rob-bonta/
About the Author
