Western Plastics Association

SACRAMENTO — A drive to ban most stores from handing out single-use plastic bags got an important boost Monday when the California Grocers Assn. announced its support for a bill.  The measure by state Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) would prohibit the bags in grocery stores and pharmacies beginning on Jan. 1, 2015. Shoppers would be urged to bring their own reusable cloth or plastic bags or would have the option of paying the actual cost of a paper bag, estimated at 10 cents or less.  By Marc Lifsher  See Full Story

Source:  Los Angeles Times

Opponents of Los Angeles’ bag banintend to appeal to the California Supreme Court after a state appeals court agreed with a lower court in upholding the Los Angeles county law.   The law, which took affect last year, prohibits retail stores from providing single-use plastic carryout bags and requires stores to charge customers 10 cents per each bag requested. Opponents argue that the 10-cent fee is a tax that was not approved by county voters.    The Second Appellate District court of California, however, ruled that it is not a tax under the state constitution because the charge is payable to and retained by the retail store and is not given to the county, according to court records.

Opponents of the bag ban are represented by the San Rafael, Calif-based law firm of Nielsen Merksamer Parrinello Gross & Leoni LLP. “We respectfully disagree with the court’s ruling,” said James Parrinello, lead counsel for the plaintiffs and senior litigation partner at the firm. “We continue to believe that the ten-cent bag ‘charge’ is a violation of Proposition 26, which mandates that ‘any levy, charge or exaction of any kind imposed by a local government’ must be approved by local voters. We intend to seek Supreme Court review.”  Allan Gerlat | Waste Age

Source:    Waste Age

As the ranks of counties and cities implementing bans, fees or taxes on plastic bags continue to grow, several state legislators are taking the enthusiasm for those ordinances as a sign that it’s time for statewide bans.  California, Rhode Island and Hawaii are all making a 2013 run at being the first to ban plastic bags statewide.  In California, state Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) introduced legislation in February that would prohibit large retail stores there from providing single-use carryout bags to customers beginning in 2015. Starting in July 2016, the ban would extend to convenience stores and other small businesses. Freshman assemblyman Marc Levine (D-San Rafael) has introduced his own version of the measure, which is expected to merge eventually with the Padilla bill.  It will be California’s seventh run at a plastic bag ban, but supporters who have repeatedly seen the effort fail say this time will be different.  By: Gayle S. Putrich  See Full Story

Source:  Plastics News