L.A. bans plastic bag

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Great news! The Los Angeles City Council voted 11-1 yesterday to finalize a citywide ban on single-use plastic bags. Once the L.A. ordinance is signed into lawby Mayor Villaraigosa, nearly one in three Californians will live somewhere with a plastic bag ban.

Single-use plastic bags are one of the most common garbage items on California’s beaches according to the Los Angeles Times. They are a direct threat to ocean wildlife, like the sea turtles that mistake them for edible jellyfish. One in three leatherback sea turtles have plastic in their stomach, most often a plastic bag, based on a study of over 370 autopsies. Plastic bags make up as much as 25 percent, by weight, of all garbage flowing out to sea on the Los Angeles River according to a 2008 L.A. County report.

Thanks to EcoWatch for the news! Learn more: Los Angeles Enacts Plastic Bag Ban, Strengthens Statewide Movement ? EcoWatch: Cutting Edge Environmental News Service