Jump to content

SF Bans Plastic Check Outbags


Charles Pearson

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 12
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Posted

This has already happened in two small towns in northern Canada. I had no idea SF was considering such a move.

http://www.planetizen.com/news/redirect.ph...9&nid=23362

Personally, I never get plastic bags at the grocery store, it is incredibly wasteful. I always bring cloth bags as well as re-used clear plastic bags for produce. However, going this route is a massive uphill battle, going against the deeply ingrained culture of waste that we live in. In general, the assumption is that everything that you purchase everywhere must go into a plastic bag, even if it would be easier to carry otherwise; and check-out has become so hyper-efficient that it is usually in the bag before you can ask for no bag, and if you do ask the checker looks at you like you are from Mars. Blockbuster now puts one DVD in a plastic bag - go figure? I think the most ridiculous example of this so far was the other day, my girlfriend was buying a TUBE OF CHAPSTICK and the checker put it in a plastic bag!

ON THE OTHER HAND

I think that a top-down, authoritarian BAN on plastic bags is not the way to go. Much better would be a market-based solution, simply levy a "bag tax" so that stores pay for ALL the costs plastic bags impose on society. Including: subsidized petroleum, clean-up, pollution, harm to wildlife, recycling, and so on. The store could then decide as a business model whether they want to pass these costs on to the consumers, by charging per-bag (as is common throughout Europe), or just absorb it into the costs of their products, or eliminate plastic bags and use something else.

Posted
This has already happened in two small towns in northern Canada. I had no idea SF was considering such a move.

http://www.planetizen.com/news/redirect.ph...9&nid=23362

Personally, I never get plastic bags at the grocery store, it is incredibly wasteful. I always bring cloth bags as well as re-used clear plastic bags for produce. However, going this route is a massive uphill battle, going against the deeply ingrained culture of waste that we live in. In general, the assumption is that everything that you purchase everywhere must go into a plastic bag, even if it would be easier to carry otherwise; and check-out has become so hyper-efficient that it is usually in the bag before you can ask for no bag, and if you do ask the checker looks at you like you are from Mars. Blockbuster now puts one DVD in a plastic bag - go figure? I think the most ridiculous example of this so far was the other day, my girlfriend was buying a TUBE OF CHAPSTICK and the checker put it in a plastic bag!

ON THE OTHER HAND

I think that a top-down, authoritarian BAN on plastic bags is not the way to go. Much better would be a market-based solution, simply levy a "bag tax" so that stores pay for ALL the costs plastic bags impose on society. Including: subsidized petroleum, clean-up, pollution, harm to wildlife, recycling, and so on. The store could then decide as a business model whether they want to pass these costs on to the consumers, by charging per-bag (as is common throughout Europe), or just absorb it into the costs of their products, or eliminate plastic bags and use something else.

Posted

...it's all good for the planet (I suppose)...then I've been using my "Kaiser" cloth bag when I do go to my local SAFEway at Market & Church Streets for 2 years now...the issue had been ongoing for while between the City's Sups & the chains...apparently the recycle % is still too low...but this gives our Sups something to wrangle with 100K+ salaries...

Canada, IMO, has been ahead of what comes out of US politics...

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

Supervisors give final OK to ban on plastic bags

The Board of Supervisors gave final approval Tuesday to a ban on plastic checkout bags in large grocery and pharmacy chains.

San Francisco has become the first city in the nation to implement such a ban following Tuesday

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

i wonder the reasoning behnd 6 months to a year, think they have that many in storage that they are giving them time to use them? I can't imagine it is that hard to make the transition.

Posted

Boston is contemplating a similar proposal to outlaw plastic bags.....I'm all for it....I have a friend who is a saleswoman for a plastic bag distributor in Charlotte, I bet she's not as excited :unsure:

Posted

they should make canvas bags and sell them at the grocery story, except I am sure eventually sales would stop. Or go to a system like most clothing stores and use the paper bags with the thread handles.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.