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California Plastic Bag Ban Approved by Senate Environment Committee
Photo by dno1967 via Flirkc
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Photo by dno1967 via Flirkc
The proposal to ban plastic and other single-use bags at check-out stands in grocery stores, drug stores, convenience stores and liquor stores took another step towards reality today. AB 1998 passed out of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, but with one proposed amendment to keep the current recycling program in grocery stores until January 1, 2012, when the first phase of the ban would take effect. Assemblymember and author of the bill, Santa Monica's Julia Brownley, agreed to the amendment, which means the legislation has to be approved by the Assembly -- again, on concurrence -- when approved by the Senate.
“We are taught to reduce, reuse, recycle in that order because we can’t recycle our way to a better world,” Brownley said in a statement. “This bill gets to the root of our litter problem by reducing our use of disposable bags. A statewide ban on single-use bags will persuade shoppers to switch to reusable bags and save Californians some of the $25 million a year spent on cleaning up bag litter.”
Of the 19 million single-use bags discarded annually in California, only 5% of them are recycled, said Brownley.
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Today's 5-2 vote pushes the legislation forward to the Senate Appropriations committee before heading to the Senate floor. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he looked forward to signing the bill into law.
On Friday, the Los Angeles City Council approved a resolution supporting the law.
Previously on LAist:
- How to be Plastic Bag Free
- Ban on Plastic Bags Approved by California Assembly
- Support for Bill to Ban Plastic Bags Continues to Grow
- California One Step Closer to Banning Single-Use Plastic Bags
-One Week Left to Pass Ban on Plastic Bags
- Will California Ban Plastic Bags?
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