On Tuesday Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) introduced AB-161 that would require businesses by 2022 to issue e-receipts, unless a customer specifically requests a hard copy.
“I think we have a very easy solution. Instead of making paper receipts the default, lets make electronic receipts or email receipts the default,” explained Ting. “You can get a paper receipt by request.”
According to Ting, each year in the United States, up to 10 million trees and 21 billion gallons of water are used to create receipts, which generate 686 million pounds of waste and 12 billion pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2), the equivalent of one million cars on the road.
According to the Bill:
This bill would require, on and after January 1, 2022, a proof of purchase for the retail sale of food, alcohol, or other tangible personal property, or for the provision of services, provided to a consumer, as defined, by a business to be provided only in electronic form, unless the consumer requests that the proof of purchase be provided in paper form. The bill would specify that the first and 2nd violations of these provisions would result in a notice of violation and any subsequent violation would be an infraction punishable by a fine of $25 for each day the business is in violation, but not to exceed an annual total of $300. The provisions would be enforced by the same enforcement officers authorized to enforce the California Retail Food Code. By creating a new crime and imposing additional enforcement duties on local health agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
