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Group Urges Statewide Plastic Bag Ban

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  The California Ocean Protection Council today released its plan toreduce and eliminate ocean litter. The plan calls for a statewideban on plastic bags and takeout containers. KPBS Reporter Ed Joycehas details.The Ocean Protection Council makes several recommendations toreduce trash in the ocean and other marine areas.Along with the plastic bag ban, the plan requires plastic packagingmanufacturers to take their products back and pay for properdisposal.The recommendations need legislation to become law.Dan Jacobson with Environment California says that's been a toughfight in Sacramento.Jacobson:

 Well there's powerful special interests who are more interested injust making money than they are in protecting our beaches. And whenit comes to the plastics industry or the petrochemical industry,these are the folks that make the plastic that ends up in ouroceans and ends up finally washing up on our beaches.A marine research group says 60 to 80 percent of the world's oceanlitter comes from plastic.Thousands of seabirds, mammals and other marine wildlife are killedeach year from ingesting or becoming entangled in trash.Ed Joyce, KPBS News.