Ordinance would impose ban on plastic and paper bags, threatening local jobs
The Los Angeles City Council's Energy and Environment Committee today will consider a proposal to ban all paper and plastic retail bags in the City of Los Angeles.
Mark Daniels, Vice President of Sustainability and Environmental Policy for Hilex Poly, a U.S. manufacturer and recycler of plastic bags, and Chair of the American Progressive Bag Alliance, released the following statement:
"The proposed policy will have no real impact on litter, instead it will only force residents to purchase less environmentally-friendly alternatives like reusable bags, nearly all of which are not recyclable, are less sanitary, are made in China using foreign oil, and often contain heavy metals. Worse, bag bans inflict a regressive tax on the disadvantaged, impose a burden on small businesses, and are a threat to local manufacturing jobs. More than a thousand workers in the Los Angeles area alone rely on quality jobs in the plastic bag manufacturing industry and urge the City Council to consider the impact this legislation will have on them and their families."
