Plastic bags ban approved!

photo by Bag Monster

It's official, LA County will ban plastic bags use for grocery stores and other retail outs beginning July 1st 2011. The ban will apply only in the unincorporated areas of LA County.

The LA Board of Supervisors voted 3-1 to approve the ordinance. Supervisor Mike Antonovich voted no, while Supervisor Don Knabe absent.

Stores will still be allowed to offer customers recyclable paper bags, but they're not free - 10cent per bag. For those who are receiving food stamps would be entitled to a free reusable or paper bag.

I totally support this ordinance, I've been using reusable bags for months now (except a few times when I forgot to bring my own bags). It was reported that the state spends $25 million a year to collect and dispose of plastic bags. In California alone, about 19 billion plastic bags are used every year and generating 150,000 tons of waste!

Some opponents said the ban will result in lost of job (from plastic companies) and in the future we will not have free plastic bags for our dustbins or trashcans around the house. Well, I guess we just have to create other jobs and find alternative trash bags.

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