Plastic bags get sacked?

Support for a statewide plastic-bag ban is mounting as a Senate committee in Sacramento approved an anti-bag bill introduced by Julia Brownley (D-Oak Park).

Roughly 50 cities in California, including Los Angeles, have passed plastic-bag prohibitions despite lawsuits from groups like American Progressive Bag Alliance and Savetheplastic savetheplasticbag.com, according to U-T San Diego. Such groups call plastic bags “the environmental choice,” as they can be reused for a variety of purposes. However, ban supporters like Environment California claim state residents throw away 123,000 tons of plastic bags each year, contributing significantly to land and ocean pollution.

The bill was approved by the Senate Environmental Quality Committee and will now be considered by the Senate Appropriations Committee. It is likely the plastics industry will challenge the legislation, which must be approved by floor votes in both houses before becoming law.