Should Burbank ban plastic bags?

Burbank residents are being asked to weigh in on a plan to implement a citywide ban on plastic bags.

The Burbank Green Alliance and the Natural Resources Defense Council are co-hosting a community forum Wednesday to discuss plastic pollution and get residents’ opinions on implementing a bag ban in Burbank.

POLL: Should Burbank ban plastic bags?

Featured speaker will be Ferris Kawar, recycling specialist for the Burbank Recycle Center, who plans to share information about the city’s efforts to move the bag ban forward.

Next month, the Burbank City Council is slated to consider an ordinance similar to a plastic bag ban in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County.

“We’ve monitored [its] implementation for the last two years — it seems to have gone very smoothly for county businesses as well as residents,” Kawar said.

Glendale’s plastic-bag ban for large groceries went into effect last month, and it will extend to small grocers, food markets, liquor stores, convenience stores, drug stores and pharmacies on Jan. 1.

A ban recently approved by the city of Los Angeles will be phased in over the next year.

A statewide ban — supported by environmentalists and grocery stores who would rather have one universal rule instead of a patchwork of ordinances — has been unable to overcome opposition from the plastics industry.

The forum in Burbank will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Romancing the Bean, 3413 W. Magnolia Blvd.

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Follow Alene Tchekmedyian on Google+ and on Twitter: @atchek.

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