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After years of threats from the plastics industry, Santa Monica has finally passed a single-use plastic bag ban, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press.The council voted 4-0 to approve the ban which will go into effect this September. Plastic bags will no longer be available at any retailers in Santa Monica except for take-out restaurants and food delivery.
If you forget to BYOB, you'll have to shell out ten cents to purchase paper bags at retail checkout counters.
Mark Gold, president of Heal the Bay, spoke to the LA Times about the importance of this vote. "The Santa Monica Council's leadership today shows that local governments are going to address this critical issue despite threats from industry and state inaction. The plastics industry knows the writing is on the wall."
Heal the Bay believes 26 million single-use shopping bags are used every year in Santa Monica, yet only 5% are recycled per year in California.
