Mexico City bans free plastic bags

Officials in Mexico City are cracking down hard on non-biodegradable plastic bags in stores.

As of August 18, a new law is in effect in Mexico City that gives the authorities the power to fine shops that give away free plastic bags to their customers.

In future, shops in the Mexican capital will have to charge for the bags, which must also be biodegradable. As well as fines of up to US$90,000, shop owners not complying can be given a 36-hour jail term.

The law affects all stores, production facilities and service providers within the Federal District, which encompasses the city limits.

According to local news agencies, officials estimate that people in Mexico City at present use more than 20 million plastic bags per day.

Mexico City has now become the second large metropolitan area in the Western Hemisphere to outlaw the bags. In March 2007, San Francisco enacted an ordinance that gave supermarkets six months and large chain pharmacies about a year to phase out the bags.