Following the footsteps of the County of L.A, the city of Long Beach tonight will likely ban plastic bags at grocery stores — meaning it will be bring-your-own reusable bag or pay for paper ones.

The Long Beach City Council already approved the rule 6-2 but will have to affirm it at tonight's meeting in order for it to go into effect Aug. 1 at large chain stores.

Smaller stores will have until Jan. 15 to phase out their own plastic bags.

About 315 business will be affected.

The city of L.A. and the state of California have been dillydallying with similar proposals, so far to no avail.

In November the L.A. County Board of Supervisors passed a similar law, outlawing such bags at stores in its unincorporated areas, which include about 1 million people.

That rule goes into effect in July.

The ocean is thankful.

-With reporting from City News Service. Got news? Email us. Follow us on Twitter, too: @dennisjromero.

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