With California on its way to being the first to implement a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags the key will be what to use instead. Californians have been creative with their plastic bags, using them for trash can liners, lunch boxes, travel laundry bags, dog poop dispensers, storage units, shower caps, and leftover containers. But with this ban, plastic bags might not be just lying around the house anymore, making the search for alternatives a pertinent one. more ›

The The LA Times is reporting that beginning February 9th, restaurants in Santa Monica will be facing a ban on nonrecyclable foam and plastic, as city officials are "hoping to put an end to the blight of discarded take-out boxes and beverage cups on their beach." The City of Santa Monica outlines the reasons for their decision on their website:

Expanded polystyrene and non-recyclable plastic together make up the largest amount of waste that ends up on Santa Monica’s beaches. At the annual Coastal Cleanup Day, 10,000 volunteers came out to clean the beaches and in three hours picked up over 75,000 lbs. of trash, most of which was identified as Styrofoam® and plastic.