>California banned single-use plastic grocery bags in 2016, becoming the first state to take this major environmental step. In the eight years it has been in effect, billions of flimsy plastic bags were removed from the waste stream, and several other states were inspired to adopt similar bans. >But it's not quite the environmental win it may seem. While the ban eliminated one ubiquitous source of plastic waste, it inadvertently opened the door for an even more pernicious one — those thicker convenience totes for sale at the checkout that were designed to be reused and recycled. News flash: They aren't being reused in any meaningful way, and they can't be recycled. Indeed, the total amount of trash from plastic bags that California sends to landfills has never been higher. This can't go on. . . [Archive](https://archive.today/Hq1AC)