Los Angeles City is enacting a ban on all disposable plastic shopping bags for the retail sector. On 25 June 2013, City Council passed a vote approving the bill for a two-stage application. The bill applies to large retail stores from the first of January next year. For smaller retailers, the ban applies from June 2014.
After applying the ban, shoppers will have to bring their own shopping bag or buy a paper shopping bag for ten cents. Quarterly reports on paper bag sales will be mandatory for retailers. Non-compliant retailers will risk a $500 fine.
A Los Angeles City initiative will distribute one million reusable shopping bags to low-income neighbourhoods.
Official estimates claimed that retail outlets hand out nearly a quarter of a million plastic shopping bags every hour in Los Angeles. Cleaning plastic bags from city land costs $2 million annually.
Los Angeles’ ban follows similar bans in San Francisco and Santa Monica.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/26/los-angeles-plastic-bags-banned_n_3500576.html?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=Green