The City of Santa Clarita proudly supports Los Angeles County, Los Angeles City and Heal the Bay for the December 20th, “A Day Without a Bag,” program, advocating the use of reusable bags instead of plastic bags.
Residents of Los Angeles County use six billion plastic bags a year, and only 5% of bags in the United States are recycled. In the state of California the average person uses 552 bags, according to the environmental organization Heal the Bay. Santa Clarita residents generate 2,600 tons of this type of plastic each year.
These bags are then left to choke up our waterways, landfills, streets, and urban landscapes, causing harm to animal life and our ecosystem. This is why Heal the Bay, along with the Santa Clarita and Los Angeles City Councils have agreed to make Thursday December 20, 2007, “A Day Without a Bag.”
Residents are being urged to give up their plastic bags in favor of reusable ones, particularly those made from organic cotton, hemp and polypropylene. The City’s Environmental Services Division has long promoted that people reduce, reuse, and recycle. People who have attended River Rally received reusable bags that are perfect to use for shopping.
“Our Santa Clara River is home to many endangered species and provides our drinking water. Anything littered on our streets ends up in the river, with far-reaching effects on our plant and animal life for a long time I am proud that our City Council is supporting this tremendous effort,” commented Councilmember Marsha McLean who requested Santa Clarita’s support of the campaign.
More information regarding “A Day Without a Bag is available on line at: http://www.healthebay.org/actionalerts/2007_11_30_nobagday/.
