Plastic Bags Banned in Parts of Los Angeles
Parts of Los Angeles County have joined other California communities in banning stores from using single-use plastic bags.
County supervisors approved the measure 3-1 on Tuesday in hopes of preventing billions of bags from polluting neighborhoods and waterways. It bans stores from giving customers single-use plastic bags and would require them to charge 10 cents for each paper bag.
The ordinance, which goes into effect next year, would apply to unincorporated parts of the county where an estimated 1.1 million people live. It does not include the 88 cities within the county, including Los Angeles.
Supporters erupted in clapping and cheering when the ban was approved.
The vote was especially meaningful for Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica, who tried and failed to pass a statewide ban in August. Brownley has been an outspoken critic of the use of plastic bags, saying only a very small percentage are recycled and that they take hundreds of years to decompose.
"This is just the beginning of a wave of bans against single-use plastic bags across California," Brownley said.
Opponents who spoke at the meeting urged supervisors to vote against the ban, saying it would cause residents to lose much-needed jobs and that the fees for reusable and paper bags would be an unfair burden on residents in poorer neighborhoods.
Velma W. Union, pastor at The Lord's Church in southwest Los Angeles, said the supervisors seemed more concerned about saving the environment than people.
"There's clearly an environmental push here," she said. "Where's the balance? I don't see that anywhere."
Proponents hope that this will spur other cities to adopt similar measures. Malibu, San Francisco, Palo Alto and Fairfax have also banned bans on single-use plastic bags.
Other California communities such as Santa Monica, Marin, San Jose and Santa Clara also are considering bans this year.
Longtime clean water advocate Mark Gold, with the environmental group Heal the Bay, called the vote a "huge win."
"The cost of convenience can no longer be at the cost of the environment for centuries to come," said Gold.
© 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. County supervisors approved the measure 3-1 on Tuesday in hopes of preventing billions of bags from polluting neighborhoods and waterways. It bans stores from giving customers single-use plastic bags and would require them to charge 10 cents for each paper bag.
The ordinance, which goes into effect next year, would apply to unincorporated parts of the county where an estimated 1.1 million people live. It does not include the 88 cities within the county, including Los Angeles.
Supporters erupted in clapping and cheering when the ban was approved.
The vote was especially meaningful for Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica, who tried and failed to pass a statewide ban in August. Brownley has been an outspoken critic of the use of plastic bags, saying only a very small percentage are recycled and that they take hundreds of years to decompose.
"This is just the beginning of a wave of bans against single-use plastic bags across California," Brownley said.
Opponents who spoke at the meeting urged supervisors to vote against the ban, saying it would cause residents to lose much-needed jobs and that the fees for reusable and paper bags would be an unfair burden on residents in poorer neighborhoods.
Velma W. Union, pastor at The Lord's Church in southwest Los Angeles, said the supervisors seemed more concerned about saving the environment than people.
"There's clearly an environmental push here," she said. "Where's the balance? I don't see that anywhere."
Proponents hope that this will spur other cities to adopt similar measures. Malibu, San Francisco, Palo Alto and Fairfax have also banned bans on single-use plastic bags.
Other California communities such as Santa Monica, Marin, San Jose and Santa Clara also are considering bans this year.
Longtime clean water advocate Mark Gold, with the environmental group Heal the Bay, called the vote a "huge win."
"The cost of convenience can no longer be at the cost of the environment for centuries to come," said Gold.
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Stores in Unincorporated Parts of County Prohibited from Using Single-Use Bags Next Year; Paper Will Cost Shoppers 10 Cents"
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And THATS exactly what it's all about, the MONEY, of course they want to ban the plastic, so they can charge all you dumb sheep in californicate for every grocery bag now, must be mighty desperate financial wise in the Govt that runs the state of californication.
Plastic DOES break down from exposure and especially SUNLIGHT, all plastics start to degrade, turn yellow and start to fall apart after exposure to sun for a period of time. That's why you'll see plastic/fiberglass parts on RV's cracking and breaking off, they become very brittle whereas when new they were flexible.
Same with "rubbermaid" garbage cans, laundry baskets etc, when NEW they are very flexible and you can bend them without damage, but within a few months every one of those will start showing cracks, they get brittle and break, and every one of them winds up in the trash at some point when they become unusable.
These feather light plastic bags are nothing, want to reduce polution? the solution is simple- ONE child per couple, not 4, not 5 not 3, ONE!
Blame the instument not the wielder.
Typical shallow minds that run this country.