No Paper Or Plastic? LA Shoppers Wary Of Proposed 'Nightmare' Ban
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — An effort to allow only reusable bags at Los Angeles grocery stores may sound like a political long-shot, but one city councilman thinks the public will eventually warm up to the initiative.
KNX 1070's Pete Demetriou reports just the suggestion of such a ban raised the eyebrows of several Southland shoppers.
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The measure introduced by City Councilman Paul Koretz would prohibit all single-use plastic and paper bags in L.A. supermarkets and would require stores to sell or provide complimentary reusable or fiber bags only or risk a fine.
Koretz said that while banning plastic bags helps reduce land and ocean pollution, the single-use paper bag still contributes significantly to the local waste stream.
Some local shoppers, however, were less than enthused about the proposal.
"I think they can find a different way to make improvements to the city," one man said.
"It'd probably be good for the planet in the long run, but short-term I could see it being a nightmare," another shopper said.
The measure still has to clear the Energy and Environment Committee, but proponents believe the waste reduction aspect of the bill will be a strong selling point that would leapfrog L.A. ahead of cities like San Francisco and Santa Monica in the battle against bag pollution.
