LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles became the largest city in the nation to approve a ban on plastic bags at supermarket checkout lines.
The City Council voted 13-1 on Wednesday to phase out plastic bags over the next 16 months at an estimated 7,500 stores, meaning shoppers will need to take reusable bags or purchase paper bags for 10 cents each.
The ban came after years of campaigning by clean-water advocates who said it would reduce the amount of trash in landfills, the region’s waterways and the ocean. They estimate Californians use 12 billion plastic bags a year and that less than 5 percent of the state’s plastic bags are recycled.
Los Angeles becomes the latest in a string of California cities - including San Jose, San Francisco and Long Beach - to ban plastic bags.
San Francisco approved the state’s first plastic bag ban in 2007, applying it only to supermarkets and pharmacies. Since then, officials have moved to expand the bag restrictions, which have drawn a legal challenge.
Front Section, Pages 7 on 05/24/2012