Statement From American Progressive Bag Alliance On The Los Angeles City Council Decision To Regulate Plastic And Paper Grocery Bags

LOS ANGELES, June 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the Los Angeles City Council voted to ban plastic bags and impose a 10-cent tax on paper bags, all of which retailers get to keep.

The following is a statement from Mark Daniels, Chairman of the American Progressive Bag Alliance, an organization representing the United States' plastic bag manufacturing and recycling sector, which employs 30,800 people in 349 communities across the nation, including approximately 2,000 in California:

"By voting to ban plastic bags and impose a 10-cent tax on paper bags, the Los Angeles City Council has sent a terrible message to manufacturers, small businesses and working families in the City of Los Angeles. After recently being voted down in the State Senate, the California Grocers Association continues to peddle this bag ban and tax scam around the state because big grocers stand to make millions from collecting every penny of the tax on paper bags. This ordinance has been sold to the public through junk science in the name of the environment, but bag bans and taxes don't help the environment – they make things worse. A tax on consumers is hurtful and, worse, a ban on plastic bags threatens the jobs of the 1,000 hard-working employees of Los Angeles area plastic bag manufacturers.

"Not only is this poor economic policy, it will do more harm to the environment by pushing residents towards higher carbon footprint products. Reusable bags require significantly more water and energy to produce than plastic bags and emit more greenhouse gases in their lifecycle. Furthermore, reusable bags are shipped from overseas, are predominantly made from foreign oil, and cannot be recycled. By passing this ordinance, the L.A. City Council has sadly ignored the facts and voted in favor of limiting consumer choice, increasing grocery bills, killing local jobs and harming the environment."

Mark Daniels, Chairman
American Progressive Bag Alliance

About the American Progressive Bag Alliance (APBA)
The American Progressive Bag Alliance was founded in 2005 to represent the United States' plastic bag manufacturing and recycling sector, employing 30,800 employees in 349 communities across the nation. APBA promotes the responsible use, reuse, recycling and disposal of plastic bags and advocates for American-made plastic products as the best environmental choice at check out—for both retailers and consumers.

SOURCE American Progressive Bag Alliance

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