L.A. County Supervisors Considers Options to Combat Plastic Bag Problems

Supervisors called for the chief administrative officer and director of internal services and public works to solicit input from outside environmental organizations to investigate the issue of polyethylene plastic in paper sack consumption in the county, including the pros and cons of adopting a policy similar to that of San Francisco, inventory and asses the impact of current campaigns that urge recycling of paper and plastic sacks and report back to the board with findings and recommendations to reduce grocery sack waste within 90 days.

The motion to examine pollution from plastic bags was brought before the board by Supervisors Yvonne Burke and Zev Yaroslavsky.

Burke says a concern over use of plastic bags is something both the county and the city of Los Angeles have been interested in addressing for some time. But, she says the issue did not come to the forefront until San Francisco actually came forward with a ban.

In January, the board approved a Countywide Energy and Environmental Policy that includes the Environmental Stewardship Program. The goal of the program was to develop policies and adopt innovations designed to reduce the negative environmental impacts of county operations.

In a supporting document dealing with plastic grocery bags, Burke and Yarolslavsky report the prevalence of plastic grocery bags, especially those made with polyethylene, have a long track record of environmental degradation.

“Their manufacture consumes enormous amounts of crude oil and natural gas, both non-renewable resources, and the resulting product, once discarded, clutters landfills, litters our streets, schools and parks, and joins a solid-waste stream that pollutes our coastal and inland waterways and endangers fish and wildlife,” the document states.

The commissioners pointed out that while the Environmental Protection Agency finds the United States consumes 380 billion plastic backs, sacks and wraps a year, the recycling of these bags is low. Research shows that while 20 percent of paper bags are recycled, the estimated rate of recycling for plastic bags is as low as one percent.

“Even when recycled, such plastic can take 1,000 years to decompose,” the document reads. “According to the EPA, even paper does not break down at a substantially faster rate than plastic in dark, dry, anaerobic sanitary landfill conditions. Moreover, paper sacks consume far more energy to produce and take up far more landfill space.”

So what is the solution? Burke said they are looking for alternatives to the paper vs. plastic dilemma. To deal with plastic bags, they hope to get recommendations on recycling. They also suggest examining sacks made from recycled paper, or more biodegradable, compostable plastic. Another recommendation in the report is to encourage consumers to buy reusable sacks, or reuse several plastic or paper sacks they currently use only once.

Burke says the county has more flexibility than the City of Los Angeles when it comes to recycling and recycling options. She said while the move San Francisco made spurred their desire to address the problem more seriously, she is a proponent of finding alternative solutions to banning the plastic bags.

“We have to do something. To see we have a problem and do nothing is not responsible. We can come up with a number of solutions from enlightened debate. I am sure we will look at every single solution that is in use.”