Food Waste and Compostable Plastic Bags Go Together

Sounds like LA needs to beef up it's ability to compost food waste collection, in order to handle the type of compostable plastic bags that San Franscisco is now using:

April 10, 2007
Compostable bags no solution for L.A. area
The county and city lack the infrastructure to copy S.F.'s answer to plastic-sack pollution
By Charles Proctor, LA Times, Los Angeles, CA

San Francisco's landmark ban on common plastic shopping bags last month inspired pundits and politicians to predict that other cities would soon follow suit. But what worked there might prove tough to do in the Los Angeles area...

love this idea from Mark Murray:
"We're all for any community that wants to pursue a ban on plastic bags," said Mark Murray, executive director of Californians Against Waste, a nonprofit group based in Sacramento."But if I was going to Los Angeles or any other communities that are thinking they might take this approach, we would propose they look at a straight-out ban on plastic bags" — including compostable plastic bags, he said.

Modbury Joins the Club

English town bans plastic bags
AP, London, UK

A small town in southwest Britain is banning plastic bags in a bid to help the environment and cut waste — a move environmentalists believe is a first for Europe.
Shopkeepers in Modbury, population 1,500, agreed to stop giving out disposable plastic bags to customers on Saturday. They said paper sacks and cloth carrier bags would be offered instead...

Los Angeles Next?

Hey, maybe my hometown will jump on the bandwagon too!

4/23/2007
L.A. County Supervisors Considers Options to Combat Plastic Bag Problems
Recycling Today Magazine

On April 10 the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors discussed the possible banning of plastic bags in the county. San Francisco recently passed legislation banning the bags, with New York State considering the move...

Football fans get reusables

Giving out reusable bags at football games - great idea:

One Watford way to greener environment

Dec. 13, 2006
http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/localnews/display.var.1070861.0.one_watford_way_to_greener_environment.php
By Martin Booth, Watford Observer, UK

MORE than 1,000 reusable bags were distributed to shoppers attending Watford Football Club's clash against Reading...

Local Government Encouragement

This little English town didn't go for the plastax, but instead "believe in working through persuasion and encouragement":

Incentive scheme to cut waste plastic

13 December 2006
http://www.dissmercury.co.uk/content/dissmercury/news/story.aspx?brand=DMAOnline&category=News&tBrand=DMAOnline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED13%20Dec%202006%2015%3A07%3A25%3A950
The Diss Mercury, Norfolk, UK

A Norfolk council is taking action to reduce the amount of waste plastic by introducing an incentive scheme for shops and businesses...