Plastic bags banned!

SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco’s city council has voted to become the first US city to ban plastic bags from large supermarkets to help promote recycling.

Under the legislation, approved last month, large supermarkets and drugstores will not be allowed to offer plastic bags made from petroleum products starting in six months. “Many (foreign) cities and nations have already implemented very similar legislation,” said Ross Mirkarimi, the city legislator who championed the new law.The city’s Department of the Environment said San Francisco uses 181 million plastic grocery bags annually.Plans dating back a decade to encourage recycling of the bags have largely failed.Mirkarimi said the ban would save 450 000 gallons of oil a year and remove the need to send 1 400 tons of debris now sent annually to land fills.The new rules would however allow recyclable plastic bags.Nampa-Reuters”Many (foreign) cities and nations have already implemented very similar legislation,” said Ross Mirkarimi, the city legislator who championed the new law.The city’s Department of the Environment said San Francisco uses 181 million plastic grocery bags annually.Plans dating back a decade to encourage recycling of the bags have largely failed.Mirkarimi said the ban would save 450 000 gallons of oil a year and remove the need to send 1 400 tons of debris now sent annually to land fills.The new rules would however allow recyclable plastic bags.Nampa-Reuters