Good news on the environmental front. The day after I blogged about a bag ban, the state took a step in that direction. The Assembly on Wednesday approved a bill that would ban plastic grocery bags. The part that makes me a little hopeful that this attempt will become law, unlike ones in the past, is that the governor has said he would sign it.
Click here for the Los Angeles Times story about the bill, AB 1998. It says that if shoppers didn't bring their own reusable bags, they'd have to pay at least 5 cents each for recycled paper bags.
Heal the Bay sponsored the bill. The environmental group says plastic bags harm marine life and pollute the city's rivers and beaches. Los Angeles County uses more than 6 billion (yes, billion with a 'b') plastic bags a year, with a measly 5 percent being recycled. It's not the first time Heal the Bay has supported a bill to reduce the number of plastic bags. Back in 2008, the group supported a bill that would have charged customers 25 cents for plastic bags. (I found this 2007 op-ed from Heal the Bay that is still relevant and echoes the same arguments against plastic bags being made today).
I like this bill because it's an outright ban on plastic bags while still giving shoppers the option to buy paper bags, so they won't feel like the government is intruding into their lives as much. But I think the cost for each paper bag should be 25 cents so shoppers feel it in their pocketbooks a little bit. Just 5 cents a bag doesn't seem to be enough to change behavior. Because really, people should be bringing their own reusable bags because paper bags aren't that earth friendly either. They use a lot of energy and water to produce and distribute, so they're not necessarily a better option.
Heal the Bay has information about the bill on their website. I also learned a lot from Warren Olney's interview yesterday with Heal the Bay's Kirsten James.
In the meantime, I'll be keeping up with what happens with this bill in the Senate. My fingers are crossed.
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