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Dana Point and Laguna Beach Could Be First OC Cities to Ban Plastic Bags
Photo by Jon Nightingale via Shutterstock
Two Orange County cities are considering separate ordinances to ban single-use plastic bags. If approved, Dana Point and Laguna Beach would be the first two cities in the OC to put in place such a ban, similar to a ban already implemented in Los Angeles County and cities within LA County.
"Both cities will consider ordinances Tuesday night that would prohibit businesses from handing out single-use plastic bags to customers," reports the OC Register. The ordinances cite a need to reduce plastic waste and protect ocean waters and marine life as key aims.
In Dana Point, civic leaders are looking to get a working ban in the wake of an unsuccessful 2010 voluntary reduction program. Their ban, if approved, would go into effect in one year, and would find local businesses prohibited from offering single-use plastic bags at checkout. Businesses in repeat violation of the ban would be subject to fines: "First violations would get a written warning, but second and third violations would be punishable by fines of $100 and $250, respectively," notes the Register.
The ban on the table in Laguna Beach is similar to Dana Point's--and both are along the lines of the ban in L.A. County and other area cities. In Laguna Beach, if approved, the ban would be implemented January 1, 2013.
Other OC cities are working on bag bans, including Huntington Beach and San Clemente.
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