Following San Francisco’s lead on a ban that took effect last November, I had read that L.A.’s City Council just voted to outlaw disposable bags by 2010. L.A. uses more than 2 billion disposable bags every year, of which only 5% of plastic bags are recycled and 21% of paper bags. However I also just read that the ban “unraveled” within the past week. I’m looking forward to seeing what this major U.S. city settles upon in terms of minimizing plastic bag use.

I first read about the ban in an article on The Huffington Post website and personally found the comments after the article more interesting than the article itself. While I still support the ban, the comments show that this is a much deeper debate than I had imagined. It’s good to hear other opinions and tips (hint: wrap gifts in reusable bags and give to those that need a little encouraging).

It also looks like Portland, Oregon may be the next city to enact a ban. And for a report on worldwide plastic bag bans, take a look at this BBC News article.