No More Plastic Bags at Los Angeles Corner Stores, Bodegas

When Los Angeles instituted its plastic bag ban at the start of
the year, large grocery stores were affected immediately. Small
mom-and-pop shops and corner stores were give six months to phase
in compliance. That means today is the day that all stores in Los
Angeles have to stop giving plastic bags to customers. Actually,
that’s not quite true. Just as New York City’s failed large

soda ban was full of holes on what businesses were affected, so
is the bag ban. CBS LA
notes:

Clear plastic sacks for produce and meat, along with bags for
pharmacy items, will still be available and free to shoppers.

Establishments such as department stores, restaurants and other
shops that do not sell grocery items will be exempt from the
ban.

I guess plastic bags from department stores that don’t sell food
have a different environmental impact than bags from those who
do?

Anyway, despite Los Angeles City Council member Paul Koretz
claiming that these plastic bags choke and pollute, a recent study
by the Reason Foundation (which publishes this site and
Reason magazine) determined that bag bans were ineffective
in reducing waste and that claims that plastic bags make up a
significant amount of coastal litter are exaggerated. Read their
study here.

Below, Reason TV and Kennedy on L.A.’s ban: