Statement From American Progressive Bag Alliance Regarding Los Angeles City's Proposed Ban on Retail Bags

LOS ANGELES, April 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --  The Los Angeles City Council's Energy and Environment Committee today will consider a proposal to ban all paper and plastic retail bags in the City of Los Angeles. 

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:

"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 employs 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)
[email protected]

SOURCE American Progressive Bag Alliance