Long Beach Bans Plastic Bags

Long Beach Banning Plastic Bags

Long Beach Environment

Long Beach, Calif., has become the eighth community to enact a plastic bag ban this year, bringing the number of bans in the United States to 22.

The Long Beach ban on plastic, compostable plastic, and degradable plastic bags was passed unanimously May 17. It will go into effect Aug. 1 for larger grocery stores and pharmacies with at least 10,000 square feet or annual sales of $2 million or more.

Starting Jan. 1, the Long Beach ban will additionally apply to smaller grocers and pharmacies under 10,000 square feet, as well as convenience stores, delis and farmers’ markets. There is an exemption from the ban for plastic produce and product bags.

The Long Beach law also requires that reusable bags offered for sale be designed for a minimum of 125 uses, have handles, be machine washable and not contain lead, cadmium or any other heavy metals in toxic amounts. It permits reusable plastic bags with handles that are at least 2.25 mils thick.

Long Beach City Council estimated that each household in the city used 1,600 plastic carryout bags in 2007. They said they expect that number to drop in half by 2013, and that the city will achieve a 50 percent reduction in the number of bags sent to landfills by 2013.

While the plastic bags are a major problem in the way they block our waterways this needed to be balanced against the greater space paper bags occupy in landfills. Additionally the paper bags and re-usable bags are significantly bulkier than plastic bags. That would result in a a greater number of truck-miles used to deliver the paper and reusable bags and greater impact on our air quality. While many theories abound the net effect on our environment has yet to be determined.

Maya Swamy, Ph.D. ,
Long Beach Real Estate Expert