Many grocery-store shoppers have been surprised at the checkout stand in recent days.

California now has the nation’s first statewide ban on single-use plastic bags. The restrictions apply to large food retailers, pharmacies, corner markets and liquor stores but not restaurants or department stores.

Businesses can still offer paper bags and thicker plastic bags as long as they charge at least 10 cents for each of those items — a move crafted to encourage folks to tote their own reusable sacks.

The new rules kicked in after voters approved Proposition 67 on Tuesday, upholding the ban on single-use plastic bags that California lawmakers approved in 2014 through Senate Bill 270. 

The legislation was sent to a referendum as a result of efforts by the plastics industry. Voters rejected that campaign to overturn the law by a margin of 52 percent to 48 percent, and they scuttled another industry-backed ballot proposal that would have sent all profits from new bag sales to a state environmental fund.

“This is a huge win that goes way beyond plastic bags,” said Mark Murray, executive director of Californians Against Waste. “This makes a strong statement in terms of (sending) a signal to polluters that might be eyeing to overturn other California environmental laws.”

Supporters of the law hope it will embolden other states that have considered banning grocery bags, including Massachusetts, New York and Washington. On the other end, Nevada, Missouri and Idaho have rules on the books making it more difficult to ban plastic bags.

“We didn’t pick this fight, but honestly, having an affirmative vote of the public on this policy is pretty profound in terms of sending a message across the country,” Murray said.

Industry groups such as Hilex Poly and Formosa Plastics have criticized the ban as an unnecessary tax on low-income shoppers that will have little impact on reducing overall pollution. The largely out-of-state industry poured $6.1 million into the campaign to overturn the law, compared with the $1.6 million spent by environmental groups to save it.