On wednesday, the los angeles city council voted 131 to phase out singleuse plastic bags over the next 12 months at an estimated 7,500 stores, according to reports. After a year, retailers can charge 10 cents for paper bags. The citys program would be modeled after bag bans in other california cities.
This ban is expected to take effect later this year once a fourmonth environmental impact report of the bag ban is complete and the council adopts an ordinance. "los angeles bag ban ordinance is a significant step toward eliminating singleuse bags around our state," said california assemblywoman julia brownley in a statement.
"there is no time to waste in reversing the alarming 100fold increase of plastic in the pacific ocean. I applaud the city council for standing up to the plastic bag manufacturers who lobbied hard to defeat this ban and i will continue to work on a statewide ban to make an even larger dent in our plastic bag habit. All californians benefit from a healthier environment."
