The US state of California has passed the first statewide legislation in the nation banning single-use plastic bags.

The bags will be outlawed in grocery and convenience stores to cut down on litter damaging to the environment.

The bill, signed by Governor Jerry Brown, will take effect next July.

Plastic manufacturers have challenged the move, however, claiming it will lead to the loss of thousands of jobs and allow grocers to profit from new paper bag fees.

"This bill is a step in the right direction; it reduces the torrent of plastic polluting our beaches, parks and even the vast ocean itself," Mr Brown wrote in a statementon Tuesday.

It also prohibits "stores from selling or distributing a recycled paper bag at the point of sale unless the store makes that bag available for purchase for not less than $0.10", according to the legislation.

Larger grocers, including Wal-Mart and Target, will be required to comply with the law beginning in July 2015, while convenience stores and food marts will have until July 2016.

Plastics trade group The American Progressive Bag Alliance had lobbied hard to stop the ban prior to its passage, but to no avail.

"If this law were allowed to go into effect, it would jeopardize thousands of California manufacturing jobs, hurt the environment and fleece consumers for billions so grocery store shareholders and their union partners can line their pockets," Lee Califf, executive director of the manufacturer trade group, told US media.

But the bill's supporters have argued extra fees can be avoided by using reusable bags when shopping.

Though California is the first US state to ban plastic bags, more than 100 cities - including Chicago and Seattle - have already outlawed them.

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据英国广播公司网站报道，美国加利福尼亚州通过了第一个全州范围的限塑令。

法律将禁止在杂货店和便利店使用塑料袋以减少乱扔垃圾对环境造成的危害。

这个由加州州长杰瑞·布朗（Jerry Brown）签署的提案将于明年7月起生效。

然而，塑料制造商却反对这次运动，称这将会削减上千个就业岗位，并使杂货店从纸袋的费用中获利。

布朗先生星期二在声明中写到，“这项法案是走向正确道路的一步，它减轻了塑料对海滩、公园，甚至海洋本身的污染。”

根据法律，商店禁止在出售商品的同时售卖或发放可回收纸袋，除非以不低于0.1美元的价格出售。

包括沃尔玛(Wal-mart)和塔吉特（Target)在内的大型超市须从2015年7月起实施这项法律，而便利店和食品市场则从2016年7月开始。

塑料贸易组织美国包装袋改革联盟（American Progressive Bag Allianc）努力游说，试图阻止这项法律，但是毫无用处。

制造业贸易组织的执行理事李·卡利夫（Lee Califf）告诉美国媒体，“这项法律一旦被准许实施，将会危及加利福尼亚上千份制造业工作，还会破坏环境，严重剥削消费者，让超市股东和他们的合作伙伴中饱私囊。”

而这项法案的支持者们争辩道，购物时使用可再利用的购物袋可以减少额外费用。

尽管加利福尼亚州是美国第一个禁用塑料袋的州，包括芝加哥和西雅图在内的100多个城市已开始立法禁止使用塑料袋。