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Shoppers in West Hollywood, be sure to bring your reusable bags the next time you shop, because the city's Single-Use Plastic Bag Ban goes into effect Wednesday, February 20. For this first-phase implementation of the ordinance, retail stores and supermarkets of at least 10,000 square feet will no longer be providing plastic bags for customers.
The ban was approved last August, and was modeled on similar bans in Los Angeles County and area cities like Santa Monica, Malibu, Calabasas, and Long Beach.
The City of West Hollywood elaborates on the reasoning behind the ban:
The purpose of the ban on single-use plastic bags is to encourage sustainability by substituting plastic bags with durable and long-lasting reusable bags and paper bags made from recycled materials; as well as reduce costs to businesses, consumers, taxpayers and the environment. A ban on single-use plastic bags eliminates a major source of litter and marine debris and helps to create local green jobs. Through this initiative, residents have the opportunity to personally contribute toward reducing waste in the City.
Retailers will charge customers 10 cents per paper bag at checkout, and the stores will retain those funds to help them pay for their paper bag supply or other promotional materials related to implementing the ordinance.
The second phase of the ban, which affects retail establishments smaller than 10,000 square feet, goes into effect Tuesday, August 20, 2013.