Plastic bags may be sacked
County supervisors will vote today on plans to curb environmental blight.
By Troy Anderson, Staff Writer
Paper or plastic?
The answer to that oft-repeated question could turn into a legal issue as the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is set to vote today on whether to ban plastic bags at large grocery and retail stores in unincorporated areas unless use is significantly reduced.
The supervisors also are set to vote on whether to seek state legislation that would allow cities and counties to require supermarkets and retailers to charge as much as 15 cents per plastic bag.
The move comes as environmental groups have argued that plastic bags endanger wildlife, pollute waterways, exacerbate neighborhood blight and generate thousands of tons of unnecessary waste.
Each year, county residents use about 6 billion plastic bags – enough to stretch to the moon and back five times.
“We are seeing a groundswell of support for this,” Heal the Bay spokesman Matthew King said. “More than 20 city councils have come out in favor of plastic bag reduction in Los Angeles County, adding, “Speaking anecdotally, when I go to markets, I definitely see more people bringing their own bags now. All things green are becoming part of the public consciousness. I think it’s a natural step and people are adopting more sustainable practices in their daily lives.”
If approved, the county would join a number of cities and nations trying to cut the use of plastic bags. China recently mandated a ban by midyear, and San Francisco recently became the first
American city to ban plastic bags at chain grocery stores.
And the move follows state legislation last year that now requires retailers to sell reusable totes at store entrances to encourage people to reduce the use of both plastic and paper bags.
But Tim Shestek, director of state affairs for Progressive Bag Affiliates of the American Chemistry Council, said the plastic bag manufacturers trade association opposes any kind of ban.
Instead, the association encourages consumers to recycle plastic bags – which are used in various building and construction products.
If the supervisors approve requiring a fee for plastic bags, Shestek said, people will simply switch to paper bags, defeating the purpose of the policy change.
“There are environmental trade-offs for any type of material,” Shestek said. “It takes 40 percent more energy to make a paper bag than a plastic bag.
“They are much more heavy so you have more trucks on the road, more fuel is burned and more air emissions are created. Our stance is the consumer ought to have a choice.
“And in terms of unintended consequences, the reuse of plastic bags for trash prevents a separate bag from having to be purchased. I think what you’ll see happen is people will go out and buy more trash-can liners for their bathroom and kitchen trash cans and to use to pick up after their dogs.”
Los Angeles County is weighing whether to ban the bags if use is not reduced 35 percent by 2010, and 70 percent by 2013.
“The plastic bags are a burden on the environment,” Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said. “They are not biodegradable. They end up in our ocean…. It doesn’t need to be that way.”
But despite agreement on the need to reduce the use of plastic bags, the supervisors aren’t in agreement on how to best achieve that goal.
After months of study and a deal on how to proceed, environmentalists fear an amendment introduced Friday by Supervisors Mike Antonovich and Don Knabe, who represents the South Bay, will weaken the proposal.
They say the amendment might have the support of three of the five supervisors.
If approved, the amendment would require the county to draft an ordinance banning plastic bags in unincorporated areas in 2010 – instead of 2009 – if use is not reduced 30 percent by 2010 and 65 percent by 2013.
“The Knabe and Antonovich amendment fairly balances the impacts on grocers with the environmentalists’ desire to reduce or eliminate the use of plastic bags,” said Paul Novak, Antonovich’s planning deputy.
Jennifer Forkish, spokeswoman for the California Grocers Association, said the association supports the amendment because its requirements are more realistic for the industry.
“We hope pressures from outside groups won’t deter the board from making a positive step in the right direction,” she said.
BAGS OF WASTE?
Recyclable plastic bags were introduced in the 1970s because they don’t come from trees and require less energy to produce.
But littered plastic bags can blow easily into streams, endangering wildlife and creating a daunting job for public works crews.
L.A. County uses approximately 6billion plastic bags each year, and 48,000 tons end up in landfills.
