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Politics & Government

Plastic Bag Ban Ordinance Is Still Up in the Air

City staffers are developing a survey to get input from Beverly Hills businesses about the possibility of a ban on plastic bags.

When will Beverly Hills get with the program to reduce plastic bag pollution? While the city continues to ponder the pros and cons of a ban, the lightweight, single-use bags sail through the air and litter the streets.

Beverly Hills spokeswoman Therese Kosterman responded to a Patch email about city efforts to ban the use of plastic bags, writing that “ … Beverly Hills city staff is … working with Los Angeles County and other municipalities in the region to draft a program that is consistent with what other cities are doing and is as simple as possible for our businesses to implement.”

The council received an 11-page staff report in October regarding a plastic bag ban ordinance. Now city staffers are developing a survey to gauge retailers’ interest in such a ban, Department of Public Works and Transportation Senior Management Analyst Daniel E. Cartagena told Patch.  

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With the holidays on the horizon, Cartagena expects the findings will be presented to the council in late February or early March. If necessary, city staffers will start a dialogue with the business community.

Some retailers like  have already stopped using plastic bags. Other businesses encourage the use of more environmentally friendly options, such as cloth or paper bags.

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“Regarding shopping bags, we give our customers the choice and encourage them to bring their own bags,”  owner Shawn Saeedian said. “If the city were to implement a new policy, we would support it.”

introduced its GreenTagBag program about a year ago, according to Kenneth Battle, manager of the company’s Beverly Hills location.

“Purchase the tag for about $1 and attach it to your reusable shopping bag,” Battle said. “Each time you pass on the plastic bag, the tag is scanned. Earn a CVS $1 Extra Buck every fourth visit.”

Battle believes that monetary incentive helps, but he also gets the sense that customers feel like they’re doing something good for the environment by passing on plastic bags.

Typically, if a customer has a small item, the cashier asks if he or she wants a bag. Most of the time, Battle said, people put the item in their purse or carry it out. 

manager Steve Meynig also noticed that customers are using fewer plastic bags these days.

“Our use of plastic bags has greatly decreased over the last three years,” Meynig said. “People specifically say they don’t need a bag at all or they bring their own.” 

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