The Province of Buenos Aires declared recently that within the span of two years, all plastic bags must be made from biodegradable material or paper.According to Packaging News, the vote in the provincial Senate was unanimous in agreeing to prohibit bags made from polyethylene or other traditional plastics and businesses will have 12 to 24 months to comply. The environmental law will not apply, however, to the city of Buenos Aires, which is autonomous from the province. A similar law is being debated on a national scale right now, as the Argentine Congress considers a law presented in May 2007 to ban non-biodegradable plastic bags.The ban would, if passed, go into effect January 2013 and would affect all hypermarkets and supermarkets.

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In a move that will significantly reduce its impact on the environment, concessioner Xanterra Parks & Resorts will provide shampoos, lotions and other amenities in biodegradable containers as well as bars of sustainable soaps in rooms in the national and state park lodges the company operates. More than 1 million bottles will be kept out of the waste stream each year as a result of the new program.

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