Malibu bans plastic and bio-plastic bags

Malibu says bye-bye to plastic bags! On Monday, the City Council voted to banish single-use plastic bags AND plastic-like compostable bags at all retail stores big and small. And to encourage the use of reusable bags, the Malibu City Council also directed its staff to research fees for paper bags.

In six months, grocery stores, restaurants, pharmacies and city facilities will have to comply or face a fine of up to $1,000. Smaller vendors will have up to a year. Smaller retailers will get a year to de-plastic-bag their stores.

Since the ban refers to plastic bags given out at point-of-sale, it appears that the flimsier plastic bags available at produce sections of grocery stores will still be permitted.

By passing the ordinance, Malibu beat out the City of Santa Monica, which is also poised to ban plastic bags soon. The Santa Monica City Council directed its staff to draft an ordinance to ban plastic bags back in February, but has yet to actually pass the ordinance.

According to the City of Malibu's website, both plastic and compostable one-use bags were banned "since there are no Southern California facilities that can recycle the compostable types." Santa Monica, too, plans to ban compostable bags, citing both the lack of recycling facilities and the potential harm to marine life. In contrast, San Francisco's bag ban applies only to plastic bags; NoCal does have some industrial composting facilities that can break down compostable one-use bags.

Earlier: Bring Your Own Bag

Photo courtesy of envirowoman

Comments

[Rashie]

If all these other cities and countries can do it, why can't LA??

Heck, why can't the State of California??

We taxpayers spend something like $25 million a year to pick up and get rid of the 19 billion, (yes that's BILLION), one-use plastic shopping bags distributed annually... and as we all know "getting rid" of is a relative term since plastic never really goes away!

[Adam Rakunas]

If a bag is compostable, then what's the problem? Or is it a matter of the bags becoming compostable after they treated?

[Dean Okrand]

Not about Malibu but about the LA Times. I am having a problem with the LA Times. I've asked for years that they not deliver my daily paper in a plastic bag. So this is what they do...the delivery person takes a bagged paper, removes the bag, puts the bag in the car and then delivers my paper. No matter who I talk to at the Times, this practice continues. Please call the LA Times (or whatever paper you subscribe to) and ask them not to deliver the paper in a plastic bag. Thanks,
Dean