Way to go Los Angeles!! As of yesterday they have become the largest US city to ban plastic shopping bags, joining other eco conscious cities like Seattle and San Francisco. They have taken a stand and declared that consumer convenience can not be placed before the environment and plastic bags are a serious environmental problem.
According to Business Week:
The Los Angeles City Council voted 9-1 to require stores that make more than $2 million a year or occupy retail space measuring more than 10,000 square feet to phase out plastic bags by Jan. 1; smaller stores will have until July 1, 2014. Paper bags will be available for 10 cents, with proceeds going to the stores.
I am excited because LA is a trend setting city and this could give other cities the motivation they need to enact their own bag bans, which I fully support. Chicago and New York City may have something in the works already.
Freebie plastic bags are given away willy nilly all over this country and it has to stop. As society we have already demonstrated we aren’t mature enough to handle the responsibility that comes with accepting them. If we were, they wouldn’t litter our countryside and our oceans, threatening ecosystems and wildlife.
Do you support bags bans?? How do you feel about this decision in Los Angeles?
Oh that’s awesome! I always use my own bags and have for years!
I take my own bags when I go shopping and have for years! I’m curious about the options though – what happens if someone doesn’t have their own bags? Does the store just pack it in paper, or do you have to pay for it?
Maybe free paper or maybe pay .05 cents per paper bag. I like the pay idea personally. If people have to pay they will start remembering their bags.
I do not like plastic bags at all they hold to many germs. I always take my own totes. Great post!
I think it’s great! Although sometimes I don’t bring my own bags, because I like to have some plastic bags to reuse for cleaning up after the dogs.
That is awesome… I love that they are doing that!
Excellent news! We need more cities in the country with this kind of progressive mentality. I’m still waiting for the same thing here in New York, but there is a strong dedication here to reusable bags.
Well done LA – hope it works – wish it would happen here in the UK!