L.A. Bans Plastic Grocery Bags

From the AP:

The [Los Angeles] City Council voted Tuesday to ban plastic shopping bags from stores, beginning July 1, 2010. Shoppers can either bring their own bags or pay 25 cents for a paper or biodegradable bag. . . .

[Councilman Ed} Reyes said the ban will minimize cleanup costs for the city and reduce trash that collects in storm drains and the Los Angeles River. The city estimates more than 2 billion plastic bags are used each year in Los Angeles.

I generally think that such bans are a good idea. The Tinleys have long been trying to trim our plastic bag usage, taking reusable bags to the grocery store and requesting no bag for small purchases. Even so, we still somehow end up with silly numbers of plastic bags, many of which eventually get recycled. On the other hand, were my plastic-bag supply eliminated, I wouldn't be able to reuse them as trash can liners.