State targets plastic pollution with lawsuit against bag makers

Main Idea: California sued plastic bag maker Novolex Holdings and reached settlements with other companies over claims that their bags were falsely sold as recyclable.

Key Points:

• California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the bags broke a state law that required thicker store bags to be reusable and recyclable.
• The state says the bags could not be processed by recycling plants and often ended up in landfills, incinerators, or waterways.
• California also announced settlements with four other companies, which agreed to pay nearly $1.8 million and stop selling bags in the state after current stock runs out.
• The move is part of a broader California push to cut plastic pollution, including a new law that will ban all plastic shopping bags at grocery stores next year.