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 what seems like perhaps an unlikely combination, the province of Buenos Aires and the state of Alabama are currently working to create a partnership.According to Global Atlanta, the governors of the two areas are meeting in Atlanta to talk about areas of interest they share, particularly public health, tourism and trade.What can these far away places share?Alabama Governor Bob Riley visited Argentina early in the year, from June 5 to the 7, as part of his tour of South America.The purpose of his visit was to encourage the use of the state’s port: Mobile.The governor of Buenos Aires Daniel Scioli arranged a return visit to the state, showing the interest of the province in strengthening this relationship.

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