Los Angeles Bans Plastic Bags, Limits Styrofoam
Following the lead of our progressive neighbors to the north, San Francisco, the City of Los Angeles has decided to ban plastic bags by 2010. A bit of a disclaimer, though - the ban will be implemented only if the State does not impose a 25 cent fee for each bag requested by a customer. This bill (AB 2058) is coming up for a vote in August. Still, it’s a step in the right direction, putting pressure on lawmakers to reduce the 2.3 billion bags used by consumers in Los Angeles.
The announcement comes after Los Angeles County supervisors caused disappointment in January when they abandoned a threat to ban the bags, choosing instead a voluntary program where stores were to “encourage” customers to bring reusable bags. In other words, the status quo.
The City Council also voted to ban Styrofoam at all city-owned facilities, including LAX, by 2009. Though Los Angeles collects Styrofoam for recycling, there isn’t really a market for it - by the time it is melted down, very little material is left. Last I heard, Styrofoam was being stored until another solution could be found…like a ban! Ta da!
Both plastic bags and Styrofoam are a major environmental hazard in Los Angeles. If you’ve ever been to the beach after a rain, you know what I mean - the fact that the entire region’s storm system drains into the Santa Monica and San Pedro Bays, untreated, is hard to miss. Every cigarette butt, plastic bag, and Styrofoam cup (now in a bajillion teeny tiny pieces) that hit the streats in the Southland is now on the beach and in the water. The resulting contamination and threat to marine life is obvious. So, ban aside, you still have the personal choice not to accept these items - exercise it!
Photo credit: Paul Keller at Flikr under a Creative Commons license
Hi,
you find places to recycle expandable polystyrene (styrofoam) under http://www.epscentral.org
Do you really believe that a ban of any kind of packaging material would help to overcome the problems?
Try harder in educating people to change their habit - to not just throw away any waste to the environmental.
That is, where it all starts.
I found this because I was searching “styrofoam los angeles.” Because I can’t believe the amount of restaurants in LA that use styrofoam take out containers. Sure, ANY take out is creating useless waste, but … I thought styrofoam was already illegal, Okay, kidding, just wishing. The only people I see taking their own bags are the Trader Joe contingent. My apartment building got rid of the recycling and trash bins and just got one big dumpster. The tenants were just putting everything in all of them anyway. LA needs some Create Less Waste, Consume Less Water/Power, and Recycle propaganda strategically planned.
[...] towns across the U.S. that have adopted similar bans include Los Angeles (effective 2010); Seattle (a 20-tax on plastic bags to be phased in starting next year); San [...]
[...] reusable bags are undoubtedly the rage these days, especially as communities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and Westport, Connecticut have started to adopt bans on free, throwaway plastic bags. In [...]
[...] you remember, in July the LA City Council announced an all-out ban on the ubiquitous plastic bags, which will take effect in 2010. In LA County, large grocers were [...]
What about styrofoam coolers used to transport perishable or temperature sensitive products. These produce more bulk waste than anything else. Pharmaceutical companies have been using these for years but what is their alternatives?