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Group Urges Statewide Plastic Bag Ban

The California Ocean Protection Council today released its plan to reduce and eliminate ocean litter. The plan calls for a statewide ban on plastic bags and takeout containers. KPBS Reporter Ed Joyce

Group Urges Statewide Plastic Bag Ban

The California Ocean Protection Council today released its plan to reduce and eliminate ocean litter. The plan calls for a statewide ban on plastic bags and takeout containers. KPBS Reporter Ed Joyce has details.

The Ocean Protection Council makes several recommendations to reduce trash in the ocean and other marine areas.

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Along with the plastic bag ban, the plan requires plastic packaging manufacturers to take their products back and pay for proper disposal.

The recommendations need legislation to become law.

Dan Jacobson with Environment California says that's been a tough fight in Sacramento.

Jacobson: Well there's powerful special interests who are more interested in just making money than they are in protecting our beaches. And when it comes to the plastics industry or the petrochemical industry, these are the folks that make the plastic that ends up in our oceans and ends up finally washing up on our beaches.

A marine research group says 60 to 80 percent of the world's ocean litter comes from plastic.

Thousands of seabirds, mammals and other marine wildlife are killed each year from ingesting or becoming entangled in trash.

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Ed Joyce, KPBS News.