Statement From American Progressive Bag Alliance Regarding Los Angeles City Council Energy and Environmental Committee's Vote to Ban Plastic and Paper Retail Bags

LOS ANGELES, April 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Los Angeles City Council's Energy and Environment Committee today voted to advance an ordinance banning all paper and plastic retail bags in the City of Los Angeles over the course of a year, a move that ironically pushes consumers toward more resource-intensive alternatives.    

Mark Daniels , Vice President of Sustainability and Environmental Policy for Hilex Poly, a U.S. manufacturer and recycler of plastic bags, and Chair of the American Progressive Bag Alliance, released the following statement:

"We are not surprised by the result of today's vote by the Energy and Environment Committee to rush toward a plastic and paper bag ban. The proposed policy will have no real impact on litter, instead it will only force residents to purchase less environmentally-friendly alternatives like reusable bags, nearly all of which are not recyclable, are less sanitary, are made in China using foreign oil, and often contain heavy metals. Worse, bag bans inflict a regressive tax on the disadvantaged, impose a burden on small businesses, and are a threat to local manufacturing jobs. More than a thousand workers in the Los Angeles area alone rely on quality jobs in the plastic bag manufacturing industry and urge the City Council to consider the impact this legislation will have on them and their families."

About the American Progressive Bag Alliance (APBA)
The APBA represents American plastic bag manufacturers and recyclers, an industry which employ tens of thousands of American workers. Plastic bags are 100 percent recyclable and nine out of ten consumers reuse plastic bags for every day household chores.  Meanwhile, reusable bags, mostly imported and made from foreign oil, cannot be recycled. 

Contact:
Christopher Bastardi , Edelman
212-704-4544
646-221-3666 (cell)
christopher.bastardi@edelman.com

SOURCE American Progressive Bag Alliance