Los Angeles City Council Votes to Ban Plastic Shopping Bags by July 2010 (Maybe)
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.23.08
Better late than never, I suppose -- though LA's planned 2010 citywide ban still seems downright meek given that San Francisco, Australia and, yes, even China have already or are in the process of implementing a ban. And, of course, it's important to note that this plan will only go through if (and it's a big if) the state fails in its attempt to impose a 25-cent surcharge.
This isn't the first time LA has toyed around with the idea of a ban. The LA County Board of Supervisors raised environmental groups' ire when it watered down crucial provisions of a plastic pollution measure. Under pressure from the plastic bag industry, the board decided to shelve its vote on an outright ban until at least 2010.
Enter the plastic bag industry
This new vote by the LA City Council is likely to engender vigorous opposition from the plastic bag industry, represented by the creatively named Save the Plastic Bag Coalition, which has already filed a lawsuit challenging a LA County measure to lower plastic bag use 30% by 2010.
Plastic bag tax: less ideal, but more feasible?
It seems clear at this point that most legislators favor a fee instead of an outright ban. As Richard Alarcon, a councilmember, told LAT reporter David Zahniser, the vote is intended more as a prod to get lawmakers to adopt a tax. While the ban may be a more ideal solution, the tax has a better chance of being approved.
At this point, any measure that could help LA significantly cut down on its outsized plastic bag consumption -- 2.3 billion a year and going strong -- would be a welcome relief.
Image from thingermejig
Via ::Los Angeles Times: L.A. City Council votes for ban on plastic shopping bags (news website)
Following the plastic bag debate in Los Angeles
::Ban or No Ban: The Debate over Plastic Bags in LA (UPDATED)
::California State Assembly to Consider Imposing 25-Cent Plastic Bag Fee
Heh, the comment on the girl's (presumably) canvas bag is priceless.
I reuse my plastic grocery bags for trash. Ireland banned plastic bags (I think they tax them now) and ended up importing a greater number of plastic bags in the form of trash bags than were being saved.
WAIT! Having read other articles on this site comparing plastic bags to paper bags, won't the logical outcome of this ban be greater use of paper bags. Which, according to other info you have provided, has a much more severe impact in terms of deforestation and water and airborne debris. Isn't this just more silly greenwashing, and probably inspired by the paper bag lobby?
I would not ban them as I think it a bit overboard. I would charge for them or tax them. It's a win-win for most cities: they get more money and fewer bags are used due the tax. Those who do buy bags will likely reuse them. I believe Whole Foods might be instituting this program on its own soon.
Love the bag... it's from http://goodone.co.uk.
A charge/tax for plastic bags and paper bags would be best, i would think, but only if it's big enough to be felt... a few pennies a bag isn't going to sway anyone from using them.
I´m working and designing a bag for reused it in Costa Rica.
I need some coments of the people who used actually, because we don´t do it here and my closer experience are the bags my grandmom used to go for the vegetables and fruits. I want to know if we can do something better than this...
saludos,
Juan
Banning them is a bit extreme. In countries like France and Germany they're not banned, but you must bring your own bag to the grocery store, and if need be, buy a plastic bag.
No paper bags are provided, which would solve that issue.
Most people have to buy trash plastic bags or paper bags (for compost).
I agree with ARP completely. It is not the government's job to decide what the solution should be, but instead motivate and create incentives to move in that direction. Plus, legislating away plastic bags is ridiculous when there is far more waste per shopper in a store behind the scenes: if they made disposable shipping boxes illegal, that would have far more impact.
But they should do neither. They should, as ARP correctly points out, simply tax the heck out of disposable bags. Say, $0.75/bag. $0.50 goes to the city, and $0.25 goes to the supermarket for having to deal with the headache of having their cashiers yelled at for charging for bags... This helps influence behaviour in the correct way. There are arguments that in some ways, plastic is BETTER than paper. In other ways, it's not. It's not the gov't's job to legislate it, only to influence it. One only has to look at the ethanol requirements fiasco to see the similarity.
I want that bag in the picture!!
I think a fee is good since a ban can't be passed.
$1.00 is good.
I find it pretty sad that some stores don't allow you to not have a plastic bag. I went to JC Penney's and I asked the girl if I HAD to use their bag and she said yes. I'd love it if they had an option to recycle the bags when you come back. At least Wal-mart has that.
I went there today and the cahsier was more than happy to use my reusable bags (to my surprise).
I'm sick of hearing about plastic bags, what about the PLASTIC PACKAGING most shoppers fill their bags up with? It's a far bigger problem, as food packaging cannot be recycled and is takes up FAR more room in landfill.
I know all of us reading this probably consider how eco friendly the products we buy are, but I'm afraid we are very much the minority.
Barney, Hertfordshire, UK.