LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles has become the biggest city in the country to ban free plastic bags in grocery stores.
City News Service reports the City Council voted 9-1 Tuesday to support a ban that will take effect Jan. 1 for large stores.
Under the law, shoppers will have to tote their own bags, or pay 10 cents each for paper bags.
About $2 million a year is spent to clean up plastic bag litter in Los Angeles.
The city plans to hand out 1 million reusable bags in low-income areas.
Small stores have until June 2014 to begin enforcing.
Stores will be required to file quarterly reports on the number of paper bags purchased.
SantaMonica and San Francisco already have plastic bag bans.
