Mexico City bans stores from distributing plastic bagsStory Highlights

[Judi Lynn]

Mexico City bans stores from distributing plastic
updated 22 minutes ago

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- Mexico City's thousands of stores went green Wednesday, as amended ordinances on solid waste now outlaw businesses from giving out thin plastic bags that are not biodegradable.

The law affects all stores, production facilities and service providers within the Federal District, which encompasses the city limits. Nearly 9 million people live inside the district and another 10 million reside in surrounding communities that make up greater Mexico City.

Mexico City becomes the second large metropolitan area in the Western Hemisphere to outlaw the bags. San Francisco in March 2007 enacted an ordinance that gave supermarkets six months and large chain pharmacies about a year to phase out the bags. Los Angeles is set to impose a ban if the state of California does not enact a statewide 25-cent fee per bag by July.

About 90 percent of the bags used in the United States are not recycled.

Bans and other restrictions on plastic bags are in place in several countries.

China has adopted a strict limit, reducing litter and eliminating the use of 40 billion bags, the World Watch Institute said, citing government estimates. Although compliance has been spotty, violation of the law carries a possible fine of 10,000 yuan ($1,463), World Watch said.

More:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/08/19/mexico.plastic.bag.ban/index.html

[create.peace]

1. wow, this is major, as anyone who travels in mexico knows,

they went from a culture with the most natural ways of wrapping purchases to the overuse of plastic bags in record time.

[murray hill farm]

2. When I lived inMexico...

the locals refered to the white plastic bags that littered the streets as "mexico's ntaional flower".

[create.peace]

3. when you walked around the outskirts of tehui, where we lived, the natural ditches were clogged with

bags, but the streets were always clean. we always made sure our garbage was picked up by the garbage hauler, but lord knows where it went....

[CurtEastPoint]

4. Great idea. Those bags helped create the Texas-sized garbage dump in the Pacific.

In Europe (or at least in Hungary when I was there) you had to PAY for a plastic bag. Of course, I remember bringing empty Coke bottles back for a refund, too.