Checkout Bag Charge Ordinance

Purpose of the Checkout Bag Ordinance

The Checkout Bag Charge and Recyclable or Compostable Pre-Checkout Bag Ordinance aims to: 

• Reduce litter and waste
• Reduce contamination in recycling (blue bin) and composting (green bin), reducing costs to San Francisco taxpayers
• Improve water quality in the Bay and ocean by reducing pollution
   

Checkout bag charge and allowed bag types since July 1, 2020

• Stores must charge at least 25 cents per checkout bag. Checkout bags include those provided for takeout and delivery. 
• Pre-checkout bags must be recyclable or compostable. There is no charge required for pre-checkout bags. Pre-checkout bags are any bag provided to a customer before the point of sale used to: 
  • Contain bulk items such as produce, nuts, grains, candy, meat, fish, baked goods, or small hardware 
  • Contain unwrapped prepared foods such as bakery goods or popcorn 
  • Prevent damage to a good or contamination of other goods placed together in the same bag 
  • Contain leftover food from sit-down 
  •  dining ("doggy bags") 
• Conventional, non-compostable plastic pre-checkout bags may not be distributed as of  July 1, 2020. 

How food and retail stores must comply with the Bag Ordinance

1. Offer an acceptable checkout bag. 

All single-use, conventional plastic checkout and pre-check out bags are prohibited. Acceptable checkout bags include: 

• Certified compostable plastic bags 
• Paper bags labeled with 40% post-consumer recycled content 
• Reusable checkout bags 

2. Display any charge separately on the customer receipt. 

Businesses keep the checkout bag charge. The charge does not apply to EBT, WIC, SNAP, and food stamp program transactions. 

3. Offer an acceptable pre-checkout bag.  

Compostable plastic pre-checkout bags must be: 

• Certified by BPI or TÜV AUSTRIA Belgium​ 
• Compostable 
• Clearly labeled “Compostable” in a highly visible manner on the outside of bag 
• Green color throughout 
• Have a minimum of 15-inch mouth width so as to fit most kitchen compost pails.  

Recyclable paper pre-checkout bags must be: 

• 100% recyclable paper with a minimum of 40% post-consumer recycled content 
• Labeled “Recyclable” in highly visible manner on the outside of the bag 
• Labeled with the name of the manufacturer, the country where it was manufactured, and the percentage of post-consumer recycled content, all in an easy-to-read size and font on the outside of the bag   

Additional information for businesses and customers