No plastic bags in Los Angeles stores

Archiv – Los Angeles City Council in the USA has unanimously voted to ban plastic shopping bags from stores from the beginning of July 2010, at which point shoppers will have the choice of bringing their own bags or paying 25 cents for a paper or biodegradable alternative. United States | Los Angeles City Council in the USA has unanimously voted to ban plastic shopping bags from stores from the beginning of July 2010, at which point shoppers will have the choice of bringing their own bags or paying 25 cents for a paper or biodegradable alternative.
The vote puts pressure on the state legislature which is considering a bill that would impose bag recycling requirements on stores. According to city officials, their ban will not be implemented if the state passes the bill and requires a charge of at least 25 cents per bag. ’We’ve gotten to a point where we need to act as a city, where we can have real results,’€™ says the proposer of the ban, Councilman Ed Reyes. ‘€˜We’€™re trying to do it in a way where we can educate and inform the public of what we’€™re doing.’€™ The ban would reduce clean-up costs as well as the volume of garbage which collects in storm drains and in the Los Angeles river, he adds.
Some 3% of the bag fee will be returned to the retailer, a further 3% will go to the state and the rest will go back to the city to fund an education campaign. More than two billion plastic bags are used each year in Los Angeles, it is estimated. Across California, around 5% of plastic bags and 21% of paper bags are recycled.
The US’€™ first-ever plastic bag ban came into force in San Francisco last November. And since July 23 this year, stores in New York City that occupy at least 5000 square feet have been required by law to recycle plastic bags; the new rules also apply to store operators with more than five outlets in the city. Recycling bins must be provided for customers.