The anti plastic bag and styrofoam sentiment’s rising — but all the different state, county, and city-level initiatives can get confusing. Below are the current anti-plastic rules for L.A.-area residents. [Originally published 7/24/08; updated as of 7/14/11]
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State of California
Current regulation: None as of yet.
In Aug. 2010, AB 1998, a bill that would have banned single-use plastic bags, went down with a 21-14 vote in the California State Senate. Before that, AB 2058, which would have instituted a 25 cents per bag fee if voluntary measures to decrease plastic bag use by 70% by July 1, 2012, died late 2008.
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LA County
Current regulation: Plastic bag ban went into effect July 2011.
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted to ban plastic bags in Nov. 2010. Retailers in the unincorporated areas of L.A. County now can’t use plastic bags and must start charging 10 cents per paper bag — which must be made with at least 40 percent post-consumer recycled waste. Supermarkets and large retail pharmacies have had to comply with the law beginning July 1, 2011, while liquor stores and food marts have until January 1, 2012.
Prior to that decision, the LA County Board of Supervisors passed legislation in January 2008 asking for VOLUNTARY reductions in plastic bag use. Stores bigger than 10,000 square feet that use plastic bags a lot were told to voluntarily reduce plastic bag use by 30% by 2010, then 65% by 2013. If the reduction goals weren’t met, an automatic plastic bag ban was to kick in — which is exactly what happened.
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City of Los Angeles
Current regulation: No plastic bag regulation.
If no state anti-plastic-bag efforts pass before July 2010, LA was supposed to ban plastic carryout bags in supermarkets and stores by July 2010. However, this has yet to come to pass.
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City of Long Beach
Current Regulation: Plastic bag ban will go into effect Aug. 2011.
The City Council voted to ban plastic bags in May 2011. Retailers in the city now can’t use plastic bags and must start charging 10 cents per paper bag — which must be made with at least 40 percent post-consumer recycled waste. Large retailers will need to comply with the law beginning August 2011, while small retailers have until January 2012.
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City of Santa Monica
Current Regulation: Styrofoam ban went into effect February 2008. Plastic bag ban will go into effect Sep. 2011.
The styrofoam ban’s been implemented quite well — you can report restaurants still using styrofoam here.
An ordinance to ban plastic bags passed in Jan 2011, and will go into effect Sep. 2011. That ban comes after a long battle: Back in February 2008, the Santa Monica City Council voted to draft an ordinance banning one-use plastic and biodegradable plastic-like bags in the city. However, when the draft finally came back to the Council in January 2009, city staff recommended delaying a vote — due to the threat of litigation from the plastic bag industry. Once environmental impact reports were completed — and L.A. county successfully passed its ban without triggering lawsuits — Santa Monica followed suit.
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City of Malibu
Current Regulation: Plastic bag ban went into effect October 2008.
In May 2008, the Malibu City Council voted to banish single-use plastic bags AND plastic-like compostable bags at all retail stores big and small, effective October 2008. Businesses ranging from grocery stores to small boutiques have to de-plastic-bag or face fines up to $1000
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City of Manhattan Beach
Current Regulation: Plastic bag ban should have gone into effect January 2009 – July 2009 — but the ban is on hold due to a lawsuit filed by the plastic bag industry.
Manhattan Beach voted on July 1, 2008 to ban both plastic and bioplastic bags, effective within 6 months for large stores, pharmacies, restaurants, and city facilities and in a year for all remaining vendors and retailers. The plastic industry group — self-dubbed the “Save the Plastic Bag Coalition” — has now sued Manhattan Beach, claiming that the city violated the California Environmental Quality Act by not fully analyzing the environmental effects of the ban. The city’s fighting the industry group; the ban’s on hold in the meantime.
However, in July 2011, the California Supreme Court ruled Manhattan Beach can go forward with its bag ban — so expect the ban to go into effect soon.
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Yep, we’ve got a crazy patchwork of anti disposable plastic laws — which is why Heal the Bay’s feeling more optimistic about the statewide plastic bag tax. “The grocers’ association is sort of realizing that a statewide policy might be better,” said Kirsten of Heal the Bay — mainly because dealing with all the individual city-level policies is a “logistical nightmare.”
In the meantime, many individual companies are coming up with their own de-plasticking rules. Whole Foods already banned plastic bags on Earth Day this year, and Ikea plans to nix all plastic bags by Oct. 2008.
Photo by Envirowoman
Update, 4/29/09: Film review — Addicted to Plastic: Become a plastic expert in 85 minutes
Pasadena is actively considering a ban with a fee on single use (paper or any other single use); we have moved slowly as the lawsuit / legislative fronts have changed, but I would think something will happen at the end of summer or in the fall in this respect .. .
Roger
Comment by RogerGoneGreen — July 25, 2008 @ 8:57 pm
I don’t know how the city of Oakland and the San Francisco Bay Area are doing in this area. I don’t even know how I can find out, but I belevie plastics are going to be going by the wayside soon, very, very soon.
zeezee´s last blog ..Potatoes Finally!
Comment by zeezee — July 15, 2011 @ 12:35 am