Gov. (Jerry) Brown signs phase-out of single-use plastic bags in stores

[Newsjock]

Source: Los Angeles Times

Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday fulfilled a promise by signing a measure that will phase out single-use plastic bags from checkout stands at California supermarkets, convenience stores, liquor stores and pharmacies.

California is the first state in the nation to enact such a ban, creating a statewide standard after 127 cities and counties in California, including the city of Los Angeles, have adopted local bag ordinances.

... The measure by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) prohibits, beginning July 1, grocery stores and pharmacies from making available single-use plastic bags. Stores will offer paper and reusable plastic bags for at least 10 cents each. On July 1, 2016, the ban will extend to convenience and liquor stores.

... The approval of the bill disappointed Lee Califf, executive director of the American Progressive Bag Alliance, an industry group that warned the ban will cost thousands of jobs and enrich grocers collecting 10-cents a bag.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-gov-brown-signs-phaseout-of-singleuse-plastic-bags-in-stores-20140929-story.html

[CreekDog]

1. Plastic bag trash is so widespread that this is necessary

if there were proper mechanisms to dispose of these or recycle them AND people used them...and if they weren't blown from trash haulers and transfer facilities, then a ban might not be needed.

but they're all over the environment, so they need to be regulated and replaced with a less harmful alternative (and less of them).

[yeoman6987]

17. Are we going back to paper bags?

I kinda hope not for the trees sake. I thought we brought plastic bags because they are biodegradable and will save trees. Well I wonder what the next bag of the next 20 years will be.

[JDPriestly]

24. Reusable paper and thicker plastic bags or cloth bags. That's what we use in California.

We re-use and re-use the bags. Wash them out in between uses.

[NYC_SKP]

33. We'll go back to what we used before paper or plastic.

Reuseable carriers, like cloth bags, carts, boxes, etc.

I'm already there, my county outlawed paper and plastic.

[frazzled]

2. Does that include the thin, tear-off produce bags?

I've bought myself a set of washable, mesh produce bags (see picture below) that I've been using for going to the farmers' markets, but I have to say I often forget to take some to the supermarket.

I do hate those thin plastic bags found on rolls in the produce dept., but am not quite sure what to do about them. They are truly not re-usable.

[frylock]

4. thanks. i just now bought myself a set of those mesh bags.

will still likely use the plastic bags for buying chicken, but these will help me to stop using them for produce.

[Demobrat]

10. It doesn't here in San Francisco

where the law is already in place.

[arcane1]

15. Another San Franciscan checking in! I adapted to the local ban with zero effort.

I'm pleased to see this happening to the entire state!

[Demobrat]

22. I adapted quickly.

I wouldn't say it took zero effort. It took a little while before bringing a canvas bag became a habit, but now I'm pretty good. And if I make an unplanned stop I have no problem paying a dime for a paper bag.

[arcane1]

27. True, I do occasionally forget to bring a bag with me.

[Starry Messenger]

25. San Mateo County checking in too.

I don't miss the plastic bags, just bring my own shopping bags.

[politicat]

12. I would like to keep those for the meat section.

Because chicken contamination is a thing. (Yes, it would be nice if we could go back to being vegetarian, but since I like my 40 something spouse, I would like his pancreas to not go on permanent strike thankyouverymuch. Our options are kinda limited.)

I use the fine tulle type for produce. They're great, as long as I don't forget and put them in the dryer.

[Dollface]

23. The thin bags are good for things that will stink up your garbage can like meat scraps or banana

peels, and other things that don't compost well. I mention this because with recycling and composting my garbage can might not fill up for two weeks.

[meti57b]

3. Gee, thanks Jerr!..... now what do I use to clean the catbox?!

[CreekDog]

9. I think you can find a way.

Bags aren't legal in my county and I've had no problem.

[Starry Messenger]

26. My mom uses the bags the newspaper comes in.

[Crash2Parties]

5. Another reason to <3 California!

Via a coworker, I used to hear how family friends would lose dozens of sheep due to bags flying out of garbage trucks & being ingested. Yes, there is an inconvenient transition period but it is worth it. The average usage time for those bags was in *minutes*.

Other awesome bills Gov. Brown recently signed:
-Allowing trans people to have the correct gender on their death certificate.
-Airports need to provide 'mom's rooms'
-Initiate the investigation of pesticides vs bee deaths
-A number of laws protecting foster kids.

and more... summery @ http://www.scpr.org/news/2014/09/30/47028/governor-s-bill-signing-spree-roundup-of-new-calif/

However, he vetoed AB194 and AB400, not sure why yet...

[Cleita]

6. We've being doing this locally for awhile now. The next step is how

do we get stores to stop wrapping fresh produce in styrofoam and shrink wrap. Trader Joe's is especially guilty of this. I would probably have very little trash if it wasn't for this.

[dbackjon]

7. How will it cost jobs?

[CreekDog]

11. if it does, it's the fault of the companies that make the bags

county after county in this state has been banning these bags and adopting similar programs as the state is doing now.

if they had simply read the newspaper and developed alternatives, they'd be well set up to do well when the bans were made statewide (which most people saw was coming for a few years).

[KurtNYC]

30. people will bag their own groceries (?)

[Duer 157099]

8. Single use bags = what about ziplock bags?

Those are almost always single-use. Are those banned?

And, if I sell at a flea market, can I bring plastic bags that I've gotten at grocery stores over the years, to bag stuff?

[roody]

32. No and yes.

[bobclark86]

13. Interesting that the alternative is paper...

http://envimpact.org/paperorplastic

In short: Paper is more detrimental to the environment by more than an order of magnitude (that's moving a decimal point, for those out of the loop... so times 10).

However, the general idea -- fewer friggin' bags -- is a good thing. This is why I ride a bike to the store and use my backpack and panniers to get my crap home.

[Travis_0004]

16. Interesting

ThIs law does charge .10 cents per paper bag, so that should cut back on use a bit.

I have cloth bags, but always put chicken and beef in a plastic bag. I dont want raw chicken in a bag one day, then fruit in the same bag the next day. I suppose I could put chicken in a cloth bag then wash it before reusing. As it stands I probably dont wash my bags enough anyway.

[Retrograde]

20. Funny, every time I buy chicken in CA it's already wrapped

either in plastic or, if I'm buying from a butcher, in butcher paper. Same with other meats. I've never come upon a place that sells raw, dripping, bloody birds.

Yeah, wash the bags occasional. And wash your produce before you eat it (if only to knock off the clods of dirt from the organic stuff). Like people did before plastic bags were common.

[KurtNYC]

29. the transition is from single use plastic grocery bags that hold about 4 items each to durable bags

owned and brought by each of us that hold much more. The charge for bags, paper or canvas, is part of the transition.

[mahannah]

14. Gov. Brown seems to be signing many good bills,

maybe he should run for President.

[bklyncowgirl]

38. The old boy has been busy lately. If he's spotted in Iowa or New Hampshire, look out.

I doubt he'll run, due to his age but he does bring a huge amount of experience and a reputation as a political turn around artist--something the country needs badly.

[SoapBox]

18. Booooooooooo!

Last edited Tue Sep 30, 2014, 04:39 PM - Edit history (1)

This whole bag ban is totally not thought out and it appeals to an "emotional" hot button, pushed by the Hollywood crowd and short sighted "environmentalists".

There are no mountains of trash bags blowing down the streets here in my area of Los Angeles. Even before the LA City Council caved to the high drama rich Hollywood bunch, there were no trash bags blowing around.

Now we have people using plastic bags make from petroleum products that will never degrade. I've already seen some at the stores that are filthy and disgusting dirty...clerks say that there is an increase of these nasty things coming throughout the check outs. Then you have the cloth bags that might be getting laundered (hell, I don't wash mine) but that take electricity, soap and water resources. And not to be forgotten, the deserted / dumped bags, where the handles have broken.

What should have been enacted were tougher trash, littering and recycling laws. Plastic bag manufacturers should have been required to produce bags that would degrade sooner.

I always recycled and multi repurposed all my bags...thank goodness I hoarded a couple of large boxes of plastic bags...looks like I'll shop out of the LA city area, so that I can get more bags before this stupid thing takes affect.

This whole "ban" fucking ticks me off.

[Travis_0004]

19. I think biodegradable bags are a bit over rated

At the end of the day most would still be thrown out. Landfills are compacted way too much for a lot of things to biodegrade anyway. Plus, I think landfills are pretty much doomed to be useless land for the conceivable future. If we can convert all plastic bags to a biodegradable design it doesnt really change anything if they are still thrown away.

Canvas bags have to be used about 170 times to environmentally break even. Ive had a lot of bags fail before they got that much use, so Im not sure what the solution is. (Step one is to use less on simpe transactions. I hate when Im buying one item and they insist on bagging it. I managed to get to the checkout just fine without a bag)

[roody]

34. Some dead turtles who thought a bag was a jellyfish

disagree with you.

[Sopkoviak]

36. Ya but The Clorox Company, based in Oakland California, will be GLAD their lobbying efforts paid off

GLAD, a Clorox Company.

https://www.glad.com/

Around our house we use "single use" store bags for trash can liners, dog poop picker uppers, litter box changes, disposing of charcoal grill ashes (when they cool so they don't blow all over the place when the trash guy comes) and lots of other stuff.

We never seem to have enough.

But I'm not worried. We live in civilized Arizona and still have a choice of paper or plastic.

But I'm also not surprised by this law.

Whenever I visit California I'm always amazed at the trash and litter on the streets and freeways so I guess this is a logical reaction.

[msongs]

21. we reuse all our store bags, none of them are "single use" nt

[JimDandy]

37. Same here...without exception.

Use them in wastebaskets, as lunch sacks, and to contain messy diapers from my granddaughter. I have sometimes even sought them out from family members who have accumulated more than they need for their own recycle uses.

[Warpy]

28. I wish this state would copy them

I have no bags in my trees this year and I credit that to neighbors who are following my lead and using canvas. People who can afford reusable bags get them to save that 5-10 cents per bag on the grocery tab. It adds up quickly.

[shanti]

31. Thanks, Jerry!

I hate those flimsy bags. They'll still be around though, only bigger. Some China manufacturers make them into the tall kitchen trash bags, they rip so easily.

I make grocery bags myself, the stretchy, string bags. They're easy to knit. But I have a lot of the dollar bags. My favorite is the huge Costco bag, holds a LOT.

[roody]

35. I moved to CA 17 years ago, and I LOVE California. nt