A measure introduced by City Councilman Paul Koretz (photo below) would prohibit all single-use plastic and paper bags in L.A. supermarkets and would require stores to sell or provide complimentary reusable or fiber bags only or risk a fine.
This effort will allow only reusable bags at Los Angeles grocery stores and Paul Koretz believes the public will eventually warm up to the idea.
He said that while banning plastic bags helps reduce land and ocean pollution, the single-use paper bag still contributes significantly to the local waste stream.
As expected, shoppers aren't as excited as the Councilman would hope.
“... I could see it being a nightmare,” one shopper said.
By including paper bags in the ban, the proposal goes beyond other measures introduced by other California cities and counties. Although L.A. County, Santa Monica and other municipalities have banned plastic bags in recently, some stores are allowed to sell paper ones for a fee.
"With paper bags, you're still generating litter," said the Councilman, who introduced the motion proposing the ban. "We're taking the next step."
Environmentalists celebrated the news and said they hoped that it would become a statewide ban.
