Page 11 - ATD 31OCT2015
P. 11
WORLD NEWS A11
Saturday 31 October 2015
Puerto Rico to ban
plastic bags through
executive order
DANICA COTO and coral reefs.” In this Oct. 26, 2013 file photo, volunteers unload trash they removed from the San Juan Bay Estu-
Associated Press The popular western tourist ary in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) town of Rincon is the only
— Puerto Rico’s governor Puerto Rican municipality Associated Press
signed an executive order that currently bans the use
Friday banning the use of of plastic bags.
plastic bags across the U.S. Environmental activists
territory, defying legislators praised the move, noting
who just days ago rejected that it is common to dou-
a similar bill. ble-bag all groceries on
The ban will take effect in the island, no matter how
mid-2016 and will be pre- small the purchase. Garcia
ceded by a six-month edu- said he would push for leg-
cational campaign, Gov. islation to be approved to
Alejandro Garcia Padilla help bolster his executive
said. order.
The announcement sur-
prised many because 25 Rep. Carlos Vargas, a
legislators in the island’s member of Garcia’s party
House of Representatives whose vote helped defeat
recently voted against a the initial bill, said he sup-
measure calling for such ports the idea of having
a ban. Lawmakers had an educational campaign
said they opposed the bill and will seek to have the
because it would charge funds generated by pen-
people for the use of plas- alties destined for environ-
tic bags amid an econom- mental projects.
ic crisis. Elsewhere in the U.S., plas-
Garcia said grocery stores tic bag bans have been
across Puerto Rico import implemented in cities in-
tons of plastic bags a year, cluding Los Angeles, San
noting that one small su- Francisco, Chicago, Se-
permarket chain alone an- attle and Austin, Texas. In
nually imports bags that fit addition, all counties in
in six boxcars that are 42 Hawaii have approved
feet (13 meters) long. such a prohibition. There is
“All that ends up in landfills currently no statewide ban
in the best-case scenario,” on plastic bags, although
he said. “They end up on California is placing the is-
our streets, in our sewage sue before voters in a No-
system ... and kill our turtles vember 2016 ballot.q
