Photo by ninjapoodles via Flickr

On Monday night, Malibu took a big step for the environment: they forbid the distribution of both plastic and compostable carryout bags. It's the most aggressive plastic bag action to date for any Southland city, according to Heal The Bay.

"Grocery stores, food vendors, restaurants, pharmacies and city facilities have six months to comply with the ordinance. Smaller sized retailers have one year until the measure is operative," the eco-conscious organization stated in a press statement. " One-use plastic bags clog landfills, foul our public spaces, waste energy and threaten marine life. California taxpayers spend more than $25 million a year to collect and dispose of the 19 billion one-use plastic shopping bags distributed annually."

Santa Monica is currently in the process of writing a single-use plastic shopping bag ban that would also force stores to charge customers if they request a paper bag.

Further: On Monday, April 14, KCRW held a debate on the plastic bag issue between Kirsten James: Water Quality Director at Heal the Bay and Sharon Kneiss, Vice President, Products Division, American Chemistry Council. If you want to see Kneiss, who represented the pro-plastic bag side of things, give some of the weakest answers in defense of plastic bags, then listen below.