San Jose to target foam takeout boxes after plastic bag ban success

[alp227]

Source: San Jose Mercury News

Almost a year after San Jose enacted one of the nation's farthest-reaching bans on disposable plastic carryout bags, city officials are citing a dramatic drop in litter and setting their sights on eliminating polystyrene foam to-go boxes starting in 2014.

Litter surveys before and after the plastic carryout bag ban took effect in January found trash had been reduced from 59 percent on city streets to 89 percent in the storm drain system, according to a report to be heard by the City Council's transportation and environment committee Monday.

"This is one of the most aggressive bans in the country, and it's definitely producing the results we were hoping for," said Environmental Services Director Kerrie Romanow.

The report added that "residents have changed their behavior and are more frequently shopping with reusable bags," and that "there are no reports of sustained negative impacts on local retailers." Fewer than 4 percent of businesses observed were failing to follow the new rules, it said.

Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_22102148

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The comments section shows the #FirstWorldProblems mentality of many in the community and America in general.

[robinlynne]

1. I don't believe the LA ban has started yet. There are still plastic bags everywhere in the stores.

Maybe it will start on January 1.

[SoapBox]

5. It was going to be approx. 18 months, for the "ban" to begin in Los Angeles.

...I just KNOW I'm gonna get flames and arrows for this...but...

I HATE the "ban".

All I heard was drama, drama and more drama.

I never heard about changing the bag formulation...limiting the bags and/or charging more for them, if you did not bring your own...and nothing about increased recycling education and locations.

All I heard...breathless drama from the "environmentalists" or BIG NAME Hollywood types.

I and my household are VERY responsible about the bags. I WAS using my own in most cases but going into places like CVS, Walgreens or Rite Aid for one little "something" and then getting several items...yup, didn't even think about taking in a cloth bag. It will be a major pain in the ass to deal with in the future. Ya, ya...so I will have to go back to the car for a bag or get a cart and then haul all the loose items to the car or...pain in the ass.

And ALL the crying and whining about bags, Bags, BAGS littering our streets and blowing wildly like tumble weeds...where???? Certainly not in the area that I live.

SO...may I suggest, for those others that may feel the same...STOP using your own bags! That's what I'm doing! I'm getting ALL the bags I can from grocery, Target, drugstores, ANYPLACE that I can...and am packing them away in boxes. I've already got 2 "paper case" boxes full and will continue to "hoard".

Oh, my major use for them besides using them to haul stuff around, tying up nasty chicken packages (and not wasting a whole trash bag), wrapping material (Christmas ornaments) and packing materials...we use them as doggie poop pick up bags...two or more a day.

When the bags are gone...the doggie poop is just gonna be left because I'm NOT paying to buy PLASTIC bags for poop.

So many serious issue to deal with and the Los Angeles City Council could only see to do this...

[CreekDog]

6. they are all over our environment. go to any urban river and you will see plastics and bags

and fast food containers.

[robinlynne]

9. It will b fine. We will all learn to always ahve reusable bags, as the rest of the world has done

for many centuries. The plastic bags are killing our oceans and rivers. In two years, we won't even remember there were plastic bags.

In the meantime the stores can give you a paper bag for 10 cents when you forget. I'll forget too. Then we'll learn.
We'll use paper bags or some sort of paper for the dog poop. It really is a better way to live. And species will actually be saved by this.


There is no excuse for creating throw away plastic any longer on this earth!
made from petroleum, and it NEVER biodegrades.

[PaulaFarrell]

10. there is just so much wrong with your attitude

i don't even know where to start. but the thing that stands out is that you say are giong to leave your dog's crap all over the streets for people to step in just because you can't have your way.

[silhouete2]

7. In the SF Bay Area

that all starts on Jan. 1st. Big signs everywhere reminding people that there wont' be any plastic bags--even in big box stores like Target.

[NV Whino]

2. My local hospital uses corn-based containers

Fully biodegradable and recyclable. The only problems are the soup containers and spoons for soup and hot coffee. You have to eat really fast or your container/utensil melts.

[JDPriestly]

3. These efforts could save a lot of tax money and make our

environment more attractive if not less toxic.

I live in a city and often have to pick up wrappers from ice cream bars, coffee cups, on occasion even beer cans from my front yard that are thrown there by strangers who park their jalopies in front of my house.

It isn't a matter of "Get off my lawn." I'm willing to take care of my own lawn, and I understand that people on their way to visit a friend don't want to walk in the order only to have to ask for some place to throw some trash before they even give a hug or shake hands.

But we just have too much paper stuff, too many bags, too many containers for everything. The trash heaps in the country fill up to the point that there isn't room for beauty.

I think this is a step in the right direction. We should get in the habit of carrying around our own reusable doggy bags or doggy dishes for restaurants. It wouldn't be that much trouble.

[adieu]

4. Sounds like San Jose is just catching up with San Francisco

San Francisco has been offering recyclable or compostable take out boxes. They're either made of paper or corn-based "plastic" that can be thrown away without harming the environment.

[Cleita]

8. I'm finding this kind of weird.

I don't live in San Jose, but down the coast. However, we seem to be under the same laws. Carrying around your shopping bags isn't that bad, but are people going to have to carry around their lunch boxes and containers too?

[PaulaFarrell]

11. there are alterntives to polystyrene which at least biodegrade

like cardboard. and whatever happened to getting a burger just wrapped in paper?

[and-justice-for-all]

12. Good...

because that foam is worse than the plastic bags.