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‘Green’ tax to go to … corporations?

‘Green’ tax to go to … corporations?

Plan leaves companies profiting off of cities’ plastics bans

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by Gina Loudon, PhD
California lawmakers tried to pass a statewide measure banning plastic bags but failed.

Now environmental activists are pushing for the ban in cities and counties, succeeding already in San Francisco and now focusing on Los Angeles. The battle pits environmental concerns against consumer choice, jobs and a surprising new concern – public health.

But the campaign also is getting attention because of the dollars involved.

There have been many arguments from environmental pressure groups about the limited biodegradability of plastic and the trash in landfills. A Los Angeles councilman raised another concern at a recent council meeting, arguing that plastic bags wreak havoc in his community, because they are blown around and get “caught in power lines and in bird nests.”

But Austin James, a Los Angeles data analyst, argues that a new proposal that would ban plastic and levy a 10-cent usage fee on all paper bags will cost consumers more and benefit only large corporations.

 

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WATCH: Dr. Gina explains the unintended consequences of plastic bag bans, gun bans, and smoking bans:

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