Anti disposable bag advocates: Get ready to celebrate Independence Day 24 hours early. July 3 is the 2011 International Plastic Bag-Free Day — a day you can declare independence from plastic bags!
In Los Angeles, this no-plastic celebration will come even early on July 1 — when plastic bags will officially be banned in Los Angeles County! Plus, paper bags will no longer be free. Opt to kill a tree, and you’ll need to pay a dime for the privilege — though your eco guilt may be a bit assuaged by the fact that those paper bags will still be made from 40 percent post-consumer recycled content and be 100 percent recyclable.
Before you rejoice that you’ll see no plastic bags littering the streets of Hollywood starting next month, I have to burst your bubble and let you know that this plastic bag ban may be a little less dramatic than you were hoping.
Why? The Los Angeles County bag ban applies only to unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. That means businesses in most of the incorporated cities — including the City of Los Angeles itself — will still be able to give out both plastic and paper bags for free! In addition, even in the unincorporated areas of L.A., smaller stores will have until January 2012 to comply with the ban.
The good news is that many cities in L.A. County are passing their own bag bans. Malibu banned plastic bags back in 2008. And since the L.A. County bag ban was approved by the Board of Supervisors, many cities have modeled their own bag bans after the County’s ban — and started passing their own bans. Among the cities that will be banning plastic bags this year are Santa Monica and Long Beach.
Meanwhile — Keep reusing your reusable bags –
Earlier:
>> Bag fee means bag free — or what shoppers in D.C. do to save 5 cents
>> Bring your own bag: How to BYOB in easy eco-style
>> Sunday solutions: Banning and taxing plastic bags
>> Styrofoam and the City: The fate of plastic bags and polystyrene in LA
Photo by Kate Ter Harr
I think this a good idea! This will make people be more eco friendly. I didn’t like the idea of plastic bags. Plastic bags cause a lot of contamination. I like this ban!
Comment by Kathy — June 29, 2011 @ 6:25 pm
Life After Plastic is my personal practice and my hope for the world. I will be very happy when the ban extends to the whole area we call “Los Angeles.” I really being “retro” — carrying items from the grocery store in my arms if I forget my own bags, and just using the hydrator drawers in the frig instead of putting everything in a plastic produce bag. One video of watching a whale die choking on a plastic bag is enough to cure me of any temptation to use one. I lived in England and France in the early 80s and remember only brown paper bags and I brought my own basket in Paris, as I lived on a marketplace street — HEAVEN!!!! LOVE YOUR NEIGHBORS and that means everyone and everything — plastic effects us all, so be kind and find an alternative!
Comment by Lily — June 29, 2011 @ 9:48 pm
Agree with Lily above…this is really great news and also disappointing at the same time. All of Los Angeles needs to enact this ban. We can all do our part, though!
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Comment by Carpet Wagon — July 3, 2011 @ 9:35 pm
Thanks for sharing this article! It’s great that these cities are implementing the plastic bag ban, and that awareness of the issue is rising. Plastics are one of the largest contributors to our ocean’s pollution. By taking simple steps, together we can help clean our oceans and prevent stormwater pollution!
Comment by LA Stormwater — July 7, 2011 @ 1:45 pm