Disposable plastic bags and utensils will be banned at commercial establishments in the municipality of Ensenada, Baja California, starting next year.

The new environmental policy will be implemented in tandem with an awareness campaign to inform the public about its benefits.

Its purpose is to help address the problem of plastics accumulating in the world’s oceans, and to promote the creation of more public policies aimed at the reduction and elimination of the use of plastic.

Mayor Marco Novelo commended council member Jorge Emilio Martínez for coming up with the environmentally-friendly policy, adding that it will contribute to improving the environment and the wellbeing of Ensenada.

The ban of single-use plastic items is part of a broader array of environmental actions undertaken by the municipal council.

In May, it joined the global Clean Seas campaign, launched in February 2017 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to engage governments, the general public, civil society and the private sector in the fight against plastic marine litter.