Jul 24 2008
Freeing Los Angeles of Plastic Bags?
The Los Angeles City Council voted on Tuesday to ban the use of all plastic bags in the city by retail and grocery stores by 2010. According to the unanimous decision the ban will go into effect if the state fails to impose a minimum 25 cent per use fee for consumers requesting plastic bags. More immediately, the city council also approved a ban on food service products using polystyrene, more commonly known as Styrofoam, for packaging from city events and facilities starting next year. The recent steps taken by the council were hailed by environmental groups as crucial to the future of the city’s environment and economy. As the second largest city in the United States, LA’s population uses an estimated 2.3 billion non-biodegradable plastic bags per year. With the impending ban in place, city officials are hoping to reduce the figure by 30 percent before 2010. Anticipating these types of regulation, a coalition called Save the Plastic Bag criticized the move as based on misinformation about their product.
GUEST: Kirsten James, Water Quality Director, Heal the Bay. For more information about the state-wide effort to ban plastic bags, AB 2058, visit www.healthebay.org.
2 Responses to “Freeing Los Angeles of Plastic Bags?”
[…] River into a greenbelt linking communities. Read and listen to more coverage on this issue at Uprising Radio. […]
Don’t be born in this day and age, wait until we clean up this planet. As my mentor used to say, “I want to be born healthy, free of chemicals and metals, and I want to be born into a rich family!”