The California Manufacturers & Technology Association (CMTA) supports sensible policies to promote recycling and responsible waste management. SB 270 fails this test by imposing a ban on plastic bags rather than encouraging recycling, and by charging an unwarranted paper bag fee that will not go toward environmental protection.

This heavy-handed approach will likely cause manufacturing job losses, and thousands of small businesses and millions of working class Californians will be hurt by the new charges for paper grocery bags – as much as $700 million per year.

SB 270 also creates a blanket, statewide policy that limits local decision-making about the appropriate treatment for waste in each community.

For these reasons CMTA urges voters to reject SB 270.