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REYES SACKS PLASTIC BAGS IN L.A. |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 22, 2008
Contacts: Monica Valencia (213) 473-7001 Tony Perez (213) 761-2281(cell)
REYES SACKS PLASTIC BAGS IN L.A.
City Council unanimously approves Reyes' motion to ban plastic bags in City in 2010, and polystyrene in City facilities in 2009
Councilmember Ed P. Reyes' motion to ban polystyrene food containers in all City facilities beginning July 1, 2009 was unanimously approved by the City Council today.
The City Council, by a 13-0 vote, also approved an amendment introduced by Reyes today that bans plastic bags by July 1, 2010, if the State has not imposed a fee of at least 25 cents by then.
"Plastic bags have been the graffiti of the L.A. River for decades," said Reyes, who chairs the L.A. River Ad Hoc Committee. The plan requires officials to replace food containers made of polystyrene -- commonly known by the brand Styrofoam -- at city-owned facilities such as Los Angeles International Airport(LAX), public libraries, the Convention Center and City-sponsored events.
``We've gotten to a point where we need to act as a city, where we can have real results. We're trying to do it in a way where we can educate and inform the public of what we're doing,'' Reyes said. ``It's going to take time to change.'' After the citywide ban of plastic bags by July 2010, consumers will have to use their own canvas bags or pay 25 cents for a paper, compostable or biodegradable bag. Of that fee, 3 percent would go to the retailer, 3 percent will go to the state, and the rest of the money will go back to the city to fund an education campaign. The plastic bag and polystyrene bans complement the ongoing Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan, spearheaded by Reyes, which proposes transforming 32 miles of the concrete-lined River into a greenbelt linking communities. ### |