Los Angeles Bans Plastic Bags in Supermarkets

Recently, Los Angeles became the largest city in the nation to approve a ban on plastic bags at supermarkets, handing a hard-fought victory to environmentalists and promising to change the way Angelenos do their grocery shopping.

The City Council voted 13 to 1 to phase out plastic bags over the next 16 months at an estimated 7,500 stores, meaning shoppers will need to bring reusable bags or purchase paper bags for 10 cents each.

The ban came after years of campaigning by clean-water advocates who said it would reduce the amount of trash in landfills, as well as the region’s waterways and the ocean. They estimate that Californians use 12 billion plastic bags a year and that less than 5% of the state’s plastic bags are recycled. via L.A. makes history with ban on plastic bags at stores – latimes.com.

A study a few years ago “found that the inks and colorants used on some bags contain lead, a toxin. Every year, Americans throw away some 100 billion plastic bags after they’ve been used to transport a prescription home from the drugstore or a quart of milk from the grocery store. It’s equivalent to dumping nearly 12 million barrels of oil.” via HowStuffWorks “How Many Cities Have a Ban on Plastic Bags?”.

I came across multiple articles about LA’s ban on plastic bags while scouring the internet this morning. And, it became apparent to me that Californians now have no choice but to change their shopping habits! Shoppers now have to either purchase paper bags or make the more environmentally conscious decision to purchase and use reusable shopping bags.

On the Cuipo site, customers can purchase top-quality reusable shopping bags. Unlike most reusable shopping bags, Cuipo bags are made entirely from a renewable resource: recycled water bottles. The bags come in green and brown and every purchase saves a meter of rainforest forever. So, you can now shop smarter while contributing to the sustainability of our planet!