Support a Plastic Bag Ban in Los Angeles County
- by: Heal the Bay
- recipient: Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
Help encourage the L.A. County Board of Supervisors to take immediate action on a staff-proposed plastic carryout bag ban.
An estimated 19 billion plastic bags are used in California each year, with more than 6 billion plastic bags used in L.A. County alone. Designed for single-use, they foul our public spaces and put added pressure on scarce landfill. Worse, less than 5% of plastic bags consumed in California are recycled. Instead, they become part of the plastic-dominated litter stream, where they damage already weakened watersheds and threaten marine life.
The Board of Supervisors recently decided to indefinitely postpone consideration of a staff report that makes strong policy recommendations to significantly reduce or eliminate plastic-bag litter throughout the county. A wide variety of interested parties, including plastics and grocery associations, participated in the drafting of the staff report. Months of considerable research, analysis and stakeholder input led to clear-headed proposals to either implement an outright ban or a phased ban if recycling proves unsuccessful.
We need concerned citizens to show their support to make L.A. County the next to follow San Francisco's Plastic Bag Ban! Urge the Board of Supervisors to show their commitment to the environment by scheduling the issue for prompt public discussion.
It's simple and easy. Sign this petition today to urge the Board of Supervisors to make this a priority!
I am writing to encourage you to show your ongoing commitment to the environment by allowing the public to comment on the staff report's recommendations on the ban of plastic carryout bags throughout Los Angeles County. To be effective, this ban must not rely on delay tactics, such as waiting for local plastic bans to be adopted throughout the County before taking County-wide action.
An estimated 6 billion plastic bags are used each year in Los Angeles County, which is equivalent to 600 bags per person per year. Millions of barrels of oil are used each year in the United States to manufacture plastic bags. Designed only for single-use, these bags have a high propensity to become litter and take up valuable landfill space. Plastic bag litter threatens wildlife and degrades the environment, and unfortunately, these bags are seldom recycled.
To tackle the plastic bag litter problem, public agencies collectively spend millions of dollars each year on clean-up, enforcement, and prevention. Unfortunately, despite this effort, plastic bags remain ubiquitous in the environment, partially because of careless consumer treatment of single-use plastic bags and also due to the difficulty associated with their clean-up. A comprehensive plastic bag ban will help leverage the funds already spent by Los Angeles County to comply with these regulations and provide additional litter reduction at a minimal cost to the County.
The urgency for local government to take action has never been greater. The legacy of our growing addiction to single-use plastic packaging will be felt in the environment for years to come. Banning plastic bags in the County of Los Angeles will help enhance the County's recreational and tourism economy, improve the quality of life for residents, free valuable landfill space, and restore our environment to a clean and healthy state.
I urge you to join forces with other California cities, like San Francisco, and help make California a national leader on this issue and expeditiously open the staff report's recommendations up for public comment.
Thank you for your consideration,
[Your name]
[Your address (City/County, Country)]
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