No plastic bags in L.A. stores beginning July 2010

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: NYT/AP

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Los Angeles shoppers soon won't hear the question, ''Paper or plastic?'' at the checkout line.

The City Council voted Tuesday to ban plastic shopping bags from stores beginning July 1, 2010. Shoppers can either bring their own bags or pay 25 cents for a paper bag.

City officials say the ban is meant to reduce waste in Los Angeles, which uses about 2.3 billion plastic bags a year.

The council's vote also puts pressure on the state, which is considering a bill that would ban plastic bags in 2012 and charge at least 15 cents per paper bag.

Last year, San Francisco passed the nation's first bag ban, which took effect in November.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Plastic-Bags-Ban.html

[nam78_two]

1. Nice-K&R.nt

[Scairp]

102. I live outside of the city

But I think all of California is going to go this route. And me, clearly ahead of the curve on this one, ordered a dozen canvas shopping bags about 3 months ago. My husband thought it was ridiculous at first, but he has very sheepishly agreed that I did the right thing. He now keeps several in his vehicle at all times. :applause:

[PDJane]

2. Not before it was time; canvas or re-usable plastic bags

are the way to go. I remember carrying net bags for years (and I don't recall it injuring me to do so.)

[Iris]

3. Wow. I didn't know they were going to charge 25 cents for paper bags, too.

They are really serious.

[havocmom]

4. A number of years ago, stores in Tucson gave you five cents off your total for each bag you provided

for your own grocery order.

As I walked or took a bus and walked, I had mesh and canvas bags as they were much more reliable.

I love tote bags.

[tishaLA]

5. I get 5 cents back in LA now for each bag Ralph's doesn't use

I figure I've paid off my canvas and mesh bags many times over at this point.

[Maryland Liberal]

6. A slap in the face

Paper bags don't cost 25 to produce.

[harmonicon]

9. no, they don't

and it doesn't cost you anything to bring your own bags. I think the price is too low.

[wordpix]

16. i'm with you, harmonicon---just keep those canvas bags handy in the car and on the front door knob

[CantGetFooledAgain]

11. Ummm, do you understand the reason for the .25 charge?

It's to provide a disincentive to the use of any kind of disposable bag, and an incentive towards reusable bags.

[robinlynne]

13. Paper bags come from trees. Think about that for a second. Is it really worth it

to cut down trees to bring our groceries home once? for 5 minutes of easy carrying?
Is it worth 25 cents?
Or maybe it is worth millions to start saving our natural resources.

[dipsydoodle]

26. Maybe , if in aggregate ,

all of those 25 cents were then used to replant sustainable forests we'd have a worthwhile recycling program ?

[robinlynne]

70. Soon we will all have the habit of using permanent bags, and there will be no need for paper or

plastic bags at all. It's really easy once you make it into a habit. like brushing your teeth. you my scream and aqgonize at first, and wonder why the world is so cruel, but after a few years or months, it's just simple.

[ptolle]

34. recycled

Surely paper grocery bags could be produced from recycled paper as easily and economically as from new pulp? I don't know, I'm asking
Some years ago I was attending grad school in Emporia, Kansas and one of the supermarket chains there regional chain, I think, would sell you pretty reasonably a fabric mesh bag and then give you a moderate discount when you next brought the bag to the store to be used again. I've often wondered why more store chains don't offer such a program.I'd be reasonably certain that the manufacturers don't give away those plastic bags and the rate at which most store use them it's got to add up.Pleased to see this program but you can be sure that the libertarians, faux and otherwise, will be screeching about it.

[Spouting Horn]

87. Trees

are a renewable resource.

[tavalon]

28. That is not why they're charging that

It's a price incentive to get people not to use non renewable resources. My bags have been used for hundreds of grocery trips, large and small. That paper or plastic bag is pretty much used once (sometimes they get twice as a trash bag).

[The2ndWheel]

38. Why not just ban the paper bags too?

[tavalon]

82. Working on it

It's coming. It takes a while to remind people that they aren't just mindless consumers.

[RadiationTherapy]

69. Can't fool you!

[LostinVA]

108. hehe

[RhodaGrits]

7. here's from near me....

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080419/NEWS/804190321/-1/COMM0411
Wurtsboro NY - plastic bag free as of July 12, 2008.

[Lorien]

8. I'm sure we'll hear many howls of protest here

about how horrible and unfair and horrifically inconvenient it is to actually have to carry your own *gasp* bags, but human kind survived for thousands of years without them, and we'll do better without them now. It's inconvenient for sea life and birds to choke to death or be strangled by plastic bags. The sea is awash in plastic debris, which isn't healthy for anyone. And forests can be better used than to provide a few minutes of convenience from the store to home to the trash or recycle bin. Climate change won't reverse just because we move away from convenience items-but every bit helps.

I've found plenty of great bags and market baskets here: http://www.reusablebags.com/ I've given many as gifts over the holidays, and they're always a big hit!

[wordpix]

17. if anyone dares to howl protest, just remind 'em of the thousands of sea turtles and other animals

that eat and die from these detestable bags, get tangled up in them, and how they litter the beaches, roadsides and parks. Good riddance.

http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/007770.html

snip: Perhaps less widely known is the destructive impact that plastic bags have on oceans and marine life. Tossed into waterways or washed down storm drains, the bags are the major source of human-related debris on the seabed, particularly near coastlines, according to the 2007 Worldwatch report Oceans in Peril: Protecting Marine Biodiversity. At least 267 different species are known to have suffered from entanglement or ingestion of marine debris, and plastics and other synthetic materials cause the most problems for marine animals and birds.

Every year, tens of thousands of whales, birds, seals, and turtles die from contact with ocean-borne plastic bags. The animals may mistake the bags for food, such as jellyfish, or simply become entangled. Plastic bags can take up to 1,000 years to break down, so even when an animal dies and decays after ingesting a bag, the plastic re-enters the environment, posing a continuing threat to wildlife. While most plastic bags eventually break down into tiny particles, smaller sea creatures may still eat the sand-sized fragments and concentrate toxic chemicals in their bodies.

snip :cry:

[dysfunctional press]

90. unfortunately, that's mostly bullshit...

at least as far as plastic bags are concerned.

http://freestudents.blogspot.com/2008/03/hysteria-over-environment-backed-by-bad.html

The Times says that the main argument used to support this ban is that plastic bags supposedly kill 100,000 animals per year. But the Times says the claim is bogus. No! You mean the environmentalist might make exaggerated or false statements in an attempt to push through expanded state powers! Who would have thought?

How did the false story spread around the Green movement? They say that a 1987 study in Canada said that 100,000 marine animals were killed each year by discarded fishing nets -- not plastic bags. Then, the Australian government had a study done of plastic bags. The authors of that report claimed, falsely, that the Canadian study attributed these deaths to plastic bags. Plastic bags were never mentioned in the original Canadian study. Government “environmental studies” are like porn to the Greenies -- it is anxiously consumed and rather arousing unless you look too closely at it, at which point it either becomes hilariously funny or a turnoff.

The Australian authors stuck by their claim for several years. They later changed the words to “plastic waste” even though the original report was about nets. They then claimed that the impact of plastic bags “is nearly impossible to determine.” I think that means they just made it up, or botched it up, right from the start.

A marine biologist for the Greenpeace group says, “It’s very unlikely that many animals are killed by plastic bags.” Rather bizarrely, and illogically, he says: “The evidence shows just the opposite. We are not going to solve the problem of waste by focusing on plastic bags.” If the evidence showed “just the opposite” it would mean that plastic bags somehow saved the lives of marine animals! I know logic isn’t Greenpeace’s strong point but this statement is obviously wrong. The evidence may not support the claim but I doubt it shows the opposite.

Prof. Geoff Boxshall of the Natural History Museum says: “I’ve never seen a bird killed by a plastic bag. Other forms of plastic in the ocean are much more damaging. Only a very small proportion is caused by bags.” David Laist, who was the author of a major study on the question said: “Plastic bags don’t figure in entanglement . The main culprits are fishing gear, ropes, lines and strapping bands. Most mammals are too big to get caught up in a plastic bag.”

[Snarkturian Clone]

95. Shhh! Truth is not allowed here!

Hysteria and Moral Grandstanding only!!!!!!!!!!!

[ChazII]

97. Thanks for your post

it and the one above it made my day.:rofl:

[wordpix]

98. even IF turtles aren't eating them, bags are obnoxious all over the beaches, sidewalks and parks!

People just don't take care of them.

[dysfunctional press]

101. the same can be said of newspapers, glass & plastic bottles, fast food wrappers, and on and on...

at least the bags that are lying around can be used to pick up the rest of the crap.

[LanternWaste]

111. But more to the point...

But more to the point...

"So, where does the 500-year statistic come from? Although standard polyethylene bags don't biodegrade, they do photodegrade. When exposed to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight, polyethylene's polymer chains become brittle and start to crack. This suggests that plastic bags will eventually fragment into microscopic granules. As of yet, however, scientists aren't sure how many centuries it takes for the sun to work its magic. That's why certain news sources cite a 500-year estimate while others prefer a more conservative 1,000-year lifespan. According to some plastics experts, all these figures are just another way of saying "a really, really long time."

http://www.slate.com/id/2169287/fr/flyout


Which is (for me if no one else), a fundamental reason to accept a mere inconvenience and begin using re-usable bags.

[harmonicon]

10. something sensible? wow!

It seems like they could put this in place sooner than that though...

[heliarc]

57. I'm sure they're in a hurry...

Plastic has shot up in price with Petroleum products getting more and more expensive. Businesses get to act green and really it's just a way of cutting costs.

[harmonicon]

71. I could care less what their reasons are

It would be nice to see people do the right thing for the right reasons all of the time, but I'm happy to take them just doing the right thing.

[robinlynne]

12. Yeah!!!!!!!!!

[roody]

14. Good news.

[wordpix]

15. best thing I've heard about LA ever! Now for the rest of the US

[jillan]

18. I bring a huge bag I bought at IKEA into the stores. When I tell the checkout person to put the

groceries in there, they just don't get it.

They would rather put 1 or 2 items per plastic bag.

I HOPE that other cities~ and states ~ follow LA's lead.

[tavalon]

30. Seattle and the surrounding areas are getting on board

Just two years ago, people at the more conventional stores were looking at me like I was an alien when I handed them my bags, now they don't even flinch and the stores all have displays by every checkout with their grocery store's logo on them and they're selling them for 50 cents to 99 cents. On Earth Day, all of the stores gave away a free bag to each customer. It was free advertising for them and hopefully those bags started being used.

I will admit that I'm unusual in that when I do a big shopping trip, I bring a dozen or more of the bags. Most people only bring them for small trips . It's too bad but our mayor was looking at a ban like LA is doing. The city will now have more clout to do that.

[AllyCat]

45. Isn't that nuts? One can put a lot more stuff in canvas bags.

I've never had one break and it makes it a lot easier to carry all the stuff to the house with 2 kids in tow.

[raebrek]

84. Have you ever tried?

Have you ever tried going to a store like Lowes or Home depot and purchasing caulk? The checker drops it into the plastic bag and it usually goes in pointy end first and finds the floor after tearing a large hole in the bag.

Raebrek!!!

[Politicub]

54. I have one of those huge Ikea bags, too

I can fit nearly a whole cart's worth of groceries in there. Now carrying it - that's another problem. :)

[heliarc]

58. They will...

Because DuPont and other plastic producers shot their prices up to meet the cost of oil... It takes oil to make plastic... and there isn't a whole lot of that anymore.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

19. Food chains are just using global warming as an excuse to pass..

...the cost of packaging groceries onto their consumers. Many corporations will tax us in this way in the name of being conservationists.

[Bill McBlueState]

40. You're onto something here

LA-area grocery stores won't have to provide free bags anymore; I bet they love this.

[shimmergal]

50. I suspect they'll lose more from

addtional shoplifting than they save.

Expecting people to bring their own bags to the store is just asking for it. They're too handy for concealing things (yes, I know about mesh bags but to a large percentage of people those are just dorky.) More people will bring tote-type bags etc.

I'm no fan of plastic bags but surely bags made of recycled paper should be acceptable.

[Quantess]

81. Depending on which store. For example,

if you are a clothing store owner, you will politely request they not bring their bags in the store. And if you can ask that of all your shoppers, no one will accuse you of discriminating.

[heliarc]

59. And an excuse to cut out high cost plastic products

that inch higher with every Oil hike.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

73. And every time corporate America does something in the name of "saving the planet"...

...but takes money out of our pockets, -democrats will be blamed.

[Snarkturian Clone]

92. Bingo. NT

[Posteritatis]

107. It cost me two dollars to package a year's groceries

This doesn't bother me that much.

[LostinVA]

112. OMFG -- you're serious, aren't you?

You do realize that reusing bags is better for the environment, right?

[Quantess]

20. (My) reason why San Francisco was the first to ban them:

People in SF walk everywhere, and it is an image-conscious city.
Walking down the street trying to look cool is dificult when you're carrying an ugly, white, cheap, plastic bag.

I usually handed the bag back to the cashier, and carried my items in my hands instead. I'd find any other way possible to get my items home than have to walk home with those plastic bags, in public.

[EFerrari]

24. It's only a partial ban anyway because small stores may still use plastic. n/t

[Dutch]

37. California uber alles.

I hope the suede-denim secret police will come for anyone who dares to pollute SF's trendiness with CHEAP bags.

[Quantess]

39. LOL.

Well, what's the point of trying to look good, when some stupid plastic bag is ruining your look, for 2 miles of walking? Hey, even the poor young people of SF, struggling to make ends meet, who don't have a car, may want to reject those ugly bags.

But, I did what I had to do to carry home my groceries, and even I used them when there were no other options, I admit. Painful memories. ;)

[aquart]

21. What will they put their trash in?

[Ichingcarpenter]

23. Well, you got a place in the Pacific the size of Texas

or one in the Gulf of Mexico if you choose.

You have read about that............ How about this place? aquart?

This is just a river that flows to the ocean

[Quantess]

25. If they had saved just a month's worth of bags,

They would have enough trash can liners to last them a few years. The people of LA can help themselves to my ever-growing pile of annoying bags.

[raebrek]

27. I'm with you

Those little plastic bags line all of my waste paper baskets. I use them to bring things on trips. That is where I wrap my shoes so they don't get anything else dirty in my suitcase.

Raebrek!!!

[aquart]

65. Laws in NYC say garbage in plastic bags on the curb.

My baskets have grocery plastic bags in them and they gather up and get dumped in a big black bag. Are we dumping the free plastic bags and keeping the ones I have to pay for?

[Quantess]

74. Those crappy bags aren't fit to be reused for groceries.

They are great for lining garbage cans, wrapping shoes to put in the suitcase, dog poop-scooping, and other grimy tasks. I would like to see a percentage estimate how many are re-used for these noblest of uses.... 3% at most. The rest end up in landfills, waterways, ditches, etc.

[Hekate]

66. All that's true. However, regarding shoe-travel: I have a pair of sock-like bags for my shoes...

... that used to belong to my grandma. I usually forget to bring them along and use plastic bags instead, but these little sockies are cute -- they have a crocheted top threaded through with a ribbon tie so you can close them. Grandma died almost 40 years ago, but you can find something up-to-date at Magellan's, or make your own.

Hekate

[raebrek]

83. I used to tease my first wife

about the size of her feet. She wore a size 5 sneaker and she didn't care much for the teasing. That is until one night when we were finished bowling. I went to put our rental shoes back. I took her shoe and said look. "Return to mother ship". And put her shoe inside of my shoe. She punched my arm but from then on when ever we traveled she used to put her shoes inside of my shoes and then they went into the plastic bag. That is a win, win as it also saved space. Mind you it wouldn't work with high heels.

Raebrek!!!

[JI7]

22. this is great news.

[LeftCoast]

29. This recently became law in SF and almost overnight

all those plastic bags that were in the trees, stuck in fences by the highway, etc were gone. It's a HUGE improvement and I'm so happy with the improved environment around here.

[Gormy Cuss]

100. Getting rid of the plastic bags, great idea. I'm not sold on the charge for paper

and I suspect that many in the L.A. business community won't be happy about that either. When a customer has no reusable bags and they're ask to pay fifteen cents for each paper bag, the natural tendency will be to buy less, and those paper bags had better be heavy duty because customers will not tolerate flimsy handles and easily torn paper.

As sfexpat wrote up thread, San Francisco law allows small stores to use plastic bags but you're absolutely right -- it was cleaner in the city within weeks of the new law.

[WriteDown]

31. Damn....

I use plastic bags for tons of things. Everything from picking up after the dog, to gym clothes. Just another expense for me I guess.

[LanternWaste]

43. Retooling out thought processes...

Retooling out thought processes and our habits will be another added expense for many people (myself included), yes. Yet I think in the grand scheme of things, the health of the planet, and hence, our own health as a species far outweighs our choice in what we use to pick up dog poop...

[Marrah_G]

32. I think it is great- all the more incentive to remember to bring my canvas ones.

[Beaverhausen]

33. I've been taking canvas bags to the store for over 20 years. This is great news

I'm still amazed at how many damn bags the baggers at the stores use. and what they put in the bags.

Things with handles, things already in bags, they will still put IN A BAG.

When I tell the baggers I don't need the bag of cat litter in a bag, they look at me like I'm nuts!

[Javaman]

35. Does this in clude Joan Rivers? ouch!

Thank you thank you! I'll be here all week!!

:rofl:

[Dutch]

36. Great news for supermarkets who get to download costs onto consumers

Great news for sanctimonious moralisers who probably have their canvas bag lodged up their ass for immediate use at all times.

Not so great for the ordinary person who may want to grab a few groceries on the way home from a hard day's work. But since when did we give a crap about them?

[Beaverhausen]

47. WTF? because I keep canvas bags in my car I'm a sanctimonious moraliser?

Most other countries have done this forever. It's really not that big a deal to bring bags with you, then put them back in your car when they are empty.

[LanternWaste]

52. I imagine that these little steps we as a world

I imagine that these little steps we as a world are attempting to make to strengthen the health and viability of the planet may indeed be inconvenient for ordinary people like myself or the examples you used.

But to me, the climate is a bit more important than mere convenience.





As an aside, i think it's probably easier to fold up the canvas bags and place them under the seat of your car or in your glove box than lodging it up one's ass-- but that's simply a presumption on my part as I've never known anyone to place a canvas bag in their ass-- maybe you have and would know better... :shrug:

[nam78_two]

62. DUzy

As an aside, i think it's probably easier to fold up the canvas bags and place them under the seat of your car or in your glove box than lodging it up one's ass-- but that's simply a presumption on my part as I've never known anyone to place a canvas bag in their ass-- maybe you have and would know better... :shrug:

:rofl:

[jberryhill]

77. Nawww....

Nobody could get a canvas bag up in something that tight.

[heliarc]

60. huh?

While I agree with your skepticism of the food industry's greenness... (my guess is that they've just started to feel the cost squeeze as Dupont and other plastic companies increased prices to match the cost of the oil that goes into making plastic)... I think you're far and away the loneliest opinion on this board... As a consumer, parent, and a working stiff, the last thing I want is to continue the support of all of this trash production. If we can cut out significant amounts of plastic from our waste, I'm happy. We compost at our house, and yes, it is extra work, but it's also the right thing to do. That's not moralizing at all... its about the modes of production and straight up materialism.

[RadiationTherapy]

68. Boooorrrrinnnnng. Whine.

[Snarkturian Clone]

96. I hear ya on that

The best part about these threads are the people who say " *I* used canvas bags BEFORE plastic bags were banned. It's what they do in Europe, which makes it better. I am therefore better."

[Reterr]

104. Waaah waaaah

Why is everyone on this forum different from me? waaaaaaaaaaa waaaaaaaaa
:cry: :cry:

The majority of the people here don't agree with MY opinions:




I am loving it! Too funny :D.

[LeftyMom]

115. Just keep your bags in the trunk of your car, or get collapsable ones for your purse.

I have some little nylon ones that are sturdy and fold down very tiny. I keep two in my purse, and I no longer need disposable bags for impulse buys. The little nylon bags were $1 at Joann.

Really, this isn't hard.

[Bill McBlueState]

41. The stores or the city should have to provide free canvas bags

for WIC and food-stamp recipients. People on tight budgets aren't necessarily up for either (1) adding a ton of quarters to their monthly grocery budget or (2) buying a suite of canvas bags for their big shopping trips.

[Juneboarder]

42. Seriously...

What is a dollar or two every week or even every month to stock up on reusable bags? They are not used just for shopping, but going to the beach/lake, going on a picnic, going to a concert in the park... I mean, if it benefits our planet and reduces on our waste and carbon footprint, then we should be all about it. There is no such thing as a free lunch :)

[Beaverhausen]

48. exactly. Check out this site for many varieties of reusable bags.

http://www.ecobags.com/

[Bill McBlueState]

49. For some people, every dollar matters

Free reusable bags for people who are already in some kind of benefit program would be a pretty simple way to maintain this proposal's environmental benefits without sticking poor people with yet another user fee.

[Juneboarder]

55. I don't know...

I still lean toward the support of buying reusable bags. You can't expect everything to be free. If you are in government support programs, then feel lucky. I feel I need government support programs based on my salary getting cut nearly in half, but still don't look toward public agencies providing me everything for free or at a discount unless its absolutely necessary. I feel that a year's notice is ample time for folks in need to save up a quarter a week to buy a bag a month which equates to 12 bags by the time the law comes into effect. That really shouldn't be too difficult to accomplish...

[Bill McBlueState]

86. "If you are in government support programs, then feel lucky."

Spoken like a modern Democrat, I guess. Sigh.

[Juneboarder]

91. Thanks, but

I'm actually a decline to state. I reserve my choices based on my true feelings and not the feelings of a certain political party.

:hi:

[Quantess]

75. I imagine that most poor people rely on a tote bag anyway.

I mean, I'm poor, but not too poor to afford $1 for a reusable bag that stays in my car most of the time (a couple of times I forgot the bag, so I ended up spending another whole dollar on another reusable bag).

At times when I didn't have a vehicle, I tended to carry a large bag with me, anyway.

[LeftyMom]

117. I used to have to ride the bus to go get my groceries, and I always used cloth bags

because the plastic ones would cut into my hands, and often would tear before I got home.

I got a ton of sturdy cloth bags for a nickel each at Goodwill- they'd had a whole pallet of leftovers donated after some trade show.

[bobbolink]

106. When you have NOTHING left at the end of the month with which to feed your children,

THEN you can come back and answer your own question.

Clearly, "progressives" don't know much about poverty.

Then wonder why they have such a hard time getting the poor vote they used to take for granted.

[LostinVA]

110. First, you want a free house, then you want a free bag?

[bobbolink]

120. And by your little avatar, you want ....what?????

Did you take a wrong turn on the information highway?

Actually, what would be nice is some awareness and some common courtesy.

Would that be too big a stretch for you?

[High Plains]

116. Dude, Trader Joe's sells them for $1.

Buy two. That's all you can carry, anyway. That's a one-time investment of $2.

But if you're really so poverty-stricken you can't afford $2, I would support giving you a free one.

[bobbolink]

119. Well, DUDETTE, try considering what it really means to be POOR. Do you have a concept of HOMELESS??

I would suggest, first, that you read Nickel And Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich before you become so damned judgmental.

[heliarc]

61. In my line of business...

go to a conference, and companies are giving canvas bags away by the hundreds... They all have corporate logos on them, but all the same, I'm sure there's an excess of them at thrift stores everywhere.

[jberryhill]

78. I've got a box full of those...

...but this thread has inspired me to throw a few into the car and use them for groceries.

I can't give them away, since everyone that knows me has several already.

[Sabriel]

89. That's where I get mine...yard sales and thrift stores. Cheap! n/t

[WriteDown]

93. I have a feeling that you will be required

to have a different bag for each store and not be able to bring your own in. Just a hunch, but we will see.

[LostinVA]

113. I have a feeling that you're wrong

I have Trader Joe's and Drug Fair reusable bags. I've never had a store complain about using someone else's reusable bag.

[Nevernose]

67. That's a really good idea for advertisers

On Earth Day here in Las Vegas this year, the new food chain Fresh and Easy sold reusable plastic bags for ten cents a pop. They come with a lifetime warranty, so if and when it breaks, they give you a new one and recycle the old one for you.

Giving away super-cheap canvas bags makes good advertising sense, too. Imagine the cheap advertising Ford Motor Company or Dr. Pepper or Taco Bell or would get from putting their brands on reusable bags.

[Quantess]

79. If they use "a suite of canvas bags" for their grocery trips, then they have a vehicle, most likely.

Which means they'd have to use up a lot of money for gas to get to the store. But other poor people, who use public transportation, or who walk or bike, would not use up a "suite of bags" for their grocery trips.

And besides, this is happening in Los Angeles. The rest of the west will follow, and the east coast, and the midwest and south will probably never participate in this earth-friendly lifestyle change. (Is it too trivial to call it a lifestyle change?)

[LeftyMom]

118. I used to take the bus to the grocery store to stock up, and used cloth bags.

They work much better than plastic if you have to carry them any distance- the plastic cuts into your hands and often breaks.

Getting them to the store is easy- you just stuff all of the empty bags into one bag.

[AllyCat]

44. In 1986, all the grocery stores I went to in Germany required you to buy your

own bags. I've always maintained that would be the best way to get Americans to change some of their throw-away attitudes when it comes to bags.

It's a shame it won't happen sooner. I do hope all other areas of the country follow suit.

[Juneboarder]

46. It's amazing at how delayed we are in our efforts here in the US :(

[DS1]

51. 2010? Why not July NOW?

[Toucano]

76. That delay is inexplicable, imho. n/t

[Reterr]

105. I don't get why the rest of the country isn't doing it.eom

[Politicub]

53. Good for LA!

And I encourage anyone who hasn't made the switch to reusable bags to do so. They hold more, and don't rip when overfilled.

[ronnykmarshall]

56. We've started buying canvas bags.

Every time we go to the store we pick up a couple more. I need to start keeping a few extras in my car.

[PDJane]

63. Yep.

Have canvas, mesh, and re-usable sturdy plastic/synthetic canvas for groceries....and I carry them when I go out the door. The city has changed the way solid waste is handled, and the way we are charged for it. The grocery packers like them; not so much risk of the handles falling off or getting a hole in them before they get home, and no double-bagging. Works just fine.

[Hekate]

64. I hate plastic bags--those "handles" cut right into my finger-joints, all the food squishes together

... and because all the food automatically squishes together in plastic bags, grocery store checkers and baggers no longer have a clue how to pack a square-bottomed paper bag, guaranteeing that your soft foods will still be squished by cans and boxes even if they can be prevailed upon to find you a paper bag. That's Von's where I don't even bother asking any more.

Trader Joe's, otoh, automatically gives you paper, and rewards you for bringing your own bags. Costco uses leftover cardboard boxes.

Yay for Los Angeles. I hope Santa Barbara County follows suit soon.

Hekate

[Acadia Blue]

72. If they charged 3 cents a bag people would start binging their

own. Why 2 years?

[Nihil]

85. 'Cos they think it will take two years ...

... for the whinging arseholes (e.g., upthread) to finally start thinking
and realise that the planet is more important than a plastic f*cking bag ...

:shrug:

(One of the villages where I spend a lot of time did this earlier this year
and it works fine. Glad to see that it's catching on around the world.)

[Raine]

80. Does this just apply to only markets or other retailers?

I couldn't tell from the article but it seems like all retailers use plastic bags whether it is home improvement stores like Orchard and Home Depot or department stores like Sears and Penny's. I'm in the Los Angeles area (county not city).

[Evergreen Emerald]

88. I re-use plastic bags for lots of things

Including taking out kitty litter.

[WriteDown]

94. Same here....

Have even used one as a makeshift patch in a radiator hose. May be a good thing though. We will see how it is handled.

[Overseas]

114. I re-use the plastic bags for my trash. Now I will have to buy new rather than recycle.

That's what bothers me. I save and re-use all of those plastic bags. Mostly for trash. I don't buy a lot of boxed and processed food, so I don't have much trash. But I'm surprised at our duplex garbage area to see how much trash others generate. Maybe only us single people who don't like much processed food and shop recycled (thrift store) as much as possible used those plastic bags for trash. So perhaps sale of brand new garbage bags won't rise much.

[Lifetimedem]

99. Seems to me

That 20 years or so ago we started to use plastic to save the trees..

Everything that goes around comes around..

[Reterr]

103. Darn it!

Too late to recommend :(.

[Odin2005]

109. Good for LA. I've started using canvas bags recently, myself.

And sans canvas bag I much prefer paper over plastic, paper is a renewable resource, biodegradable, and eco-friendly as long as the forests that are the source of the paper are managed correctly and thus not over-logged.