California Rejects Plastic Bag Ban
After much debate, California lawmakers rejected a bill that would have made the state the first in the US to ban all plastic shopping bags.
The bill, AB 1998, would have banned all single-use plastic bags from grocery stores, pharmacies, convenience stores and liquor stores by 2013. If the bill would have passed, consumers would be forced to bring their own reusable shopping bags. If they did not bring a reusable bag, consumers would have to purchase a recyclable paper bag at the store for 4 to 6 cents.
Some California cities, like San Francisco, already have such a plastic bag ban in place.
Opponents of the bill said it would add additional financial strain to consumers and businesses already struggling with hard economic times. Proponents of the bill were hoping to both help the environment and save the state some money, since it costs California $25 million each year to clean up the mess caused by the 19 billion plastic bags used annually.
Have you switched to reusable shopping bags, yet?
Any other ways you can go green to help the planet?
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