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24 May 2012: Los Angeles Becomes
Largest U.S. City to Ban Plastic Bags

Los Angeles has become the largest U.S. city to impose a ban on plastic bags at supermarkets and other

Facing the Dirty Truth
About Recyclable Plastics

The recyclable plastic bags you get at the green grocer are not biodegradable. But product life-cycle assessments, which are about to become more common, fail to consider whether those bags will break down in landfills or just end up as litter.
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stores, a significant victory for environmental advocates seeking to keep plastic waste out of the region’s landfills and waterways. In a vote Wednesday, the City Council approved plans to phase out plastic bags at approximately 7,500 stores over the next 16 months. The council will conduct a four-month environmental review of the ban, after which larger stores would have six months to shift away from plastic bags while smaller retailers would have a year, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. “Let’s get the message to Sacramento that it’s time to go statewide,” said Councilman Ed Reyes. While the city backed away from a similar ban on paper bags, stores will be required to charge 10 cents for each paper bag one year after the plastic ban is enacted.

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South African photojournalist Adam Welz documents the harrowing relocation of six white rhinos to a region that has lost all its rhinos to poaching. View the gallery.

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