Politics & Government

Lawsuit Filed Over County's Plastic Bag Ban

A plastics manufacturer is contending that the law imposes an illegal tax on county businesses, according to the Fox and Hounds Daily website. The ban was enacted over the summer and applies to Altadena.

A plastics manufacturer is challenging Los Angeles County's recently enacted plastic bag ban on the grounds that it imposes a tax on businesses in violation of state law.

The Fox and Hounds Daily website reported that Hilex-Poly was in the process of filing the suit on Tuesday, and will challenge the law on the grounds that the state's Proposition 26 prevents a tax from being disguised as a fee.

The county's ban includes a 10 cent charge on brown paper bags, which the lawsuit contends results in revenue for the county. 

Find out what's happening in Altadenawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

With plastic bags banned, and the charge on brown paper bags, the only way to avoid charges at major Altadena grocery stores is to carry away groceries with reusable bags.

The ban that went into affect on July 1 affects larger grocery stores like Super King, and the major grocery store chains like Ralphs.  In July of 2012, the ban will be expanded to affect smaller markets as well.

Find out what's happening in Altadenawith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Altadena