The environmental advocacy group Last Beach Cleanup Monday issued a public statement regarding two lawsuits it filed Friday against California-based retailers Gelson’s Markets and Stater Bros. Markets.

Last Beach initiated these two lawsuits against the California retailers because the companies are allegedly “illegally selling plastic shopping bags in California because they are not ‘recyclable in the state’ as required by California’s SB270 law (ratified by California voters as Proposition 67 in 2016).”

Through these two lawsuits, Last Beach “seeks to protect legitimate recycling efforts, save taxpayer funds spent on cleanups, and protect the global environment from plastic waste and pollution caused by plastic shopping bags and films.” If the two companies are selling reusable plastic bags that are not also recyclable, then they are in violation of California law.

Additionally, there is a requirement under California law that companies who “advertise or label their products as recyclable to maintain written substantiation supporting the validity of the recyclable representation and to provide it to the public upon request.”

The basic components of the two lawsuits are the same. Last Beach asked for the companies “to cease and refrain from selling the Products in California unless they are recyclable,” “comply with its obligations to substantiate that the Products are recyclable,” and for the Court to order the companies “to implement whatever measures are necessary to remedy the unlawful and unfair business acts or practices described in this Complaint[.]”