Jul 29 - Hermosa Beach Moves Forward in Passing Plastic Bag Ban

The Hermosa Beach City Council voted 3-2 last night on the first reading to ban single-use plastic bags in most retail establishments and charge 10 cents for recycled paper bags.  The second reading and final vote is set for August 25th, the very same day as Santa Barbara County's.  That will bring the number of California Cities and Counties that are taking plastic bag pollution into their own hands up to over 140 in one day!

According to Daily Breeze a couple of weeks ago, Hermosa Beach city leaders apologized for taking so long to move forward on this issue and have prioritized environmental initiatives such as this as a main goal of theirs.  "I like us to be the leader on these issues, not the follower," Mayor Nanette Barragan said.  "I think this is very overdue."

The ban has support from environmental groups Heal the Bay and Surfrider Foundation, as well as the California Grocers Association. Heal the Bay said that "single-use plastic bags are consistently one of the most common pieces of litter found in Los Angeles County." They also said that since the passing of LA County's bag ban in 2012, there has been a 94% drop in the use of both plastic and paper carry-out bags.  Hopefully if Hermosa Beach adopts the ban similar numbers will follow.

Read the full Daily Breeze article here.