BEIJING, Jan. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- In an effort to cut
down on the amount of plastic grocery bags littering streets or ending up in
landfills, the Los Angeles County board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a
plan asking large grocers to limit the number of bags used during the next five
years -- or an all-out ban could be put in place.
The board also voted to pursue state legislation that
would allow the county and other jurisdictions to impose a fee on every plastic
bag used by shoppers.
Under the plan, which was approved unanimously,
grocery stores will be asked to take part in a "Single Use Bag Reduction and
Recycling Program," with the goal of reducing the use of the bags by 30 percent
by 2010 and by 65 percent by 2013.
According to a county report, 6 billion plastic bags
are used every year in Los Angeles County, or roughly 600 bags per person per
year. About 45,000 tons of plastic bags are thrown away every year by county
residents, with less than 5 percent of bags being recycled.
Perhaps more problematic is the number of bags that
are not disposed of properly and wind up littering trees, beaches and streets,
according to the report.
"To tackle the litter problem, including plastic
carryout bag litter, public agencies in Los Angeles County collectively spend
tens of millions of dollars per year on litter prevention, cleanup and
enforcement activities," according to the report. "The cost to local governments
is expected to dramatically rise over the next few years as agencies strive to
comply with the federal Clean Water Act."
The proposed bag-reduction plan originally called for
the number of plastic bags to be reduced by 35 percent by 2010 and 70 percent by
2013. But the proposal was amended during an animated discussion among board
members, who eventually voted 3-2 to lower the goals to 30 percent and 65
percent. Supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky and Gloria Molina opposed the reduction.
If the reduction goals are not met, the county could
then implement an all-out ban on the use of the plastic bags. The original plan
called for county staffers to have a proposed ordinance prepared by April 1,
2009, banning the bags, but the board agreed -- by the same 3-2 vote -- to
extend that deadline until 2010.
(Agencies)
