Here's an article in the Los Angeles Times by Andrew Khouri.
Brandon Martin recalls the woman who came through his supermarket checkout line, only to find that she would have to pay a dime apiece for paper shopping bags.
Plastic bags, she was told, were no longer an option.
The woman thought for a moment, Martin recalled, and then directed him to load the groceries in the plastic trash bags she purchased.
"I thought that was a pretty nifty idea," said Martin, who bags groceries at the Ralphs in La Crescenta. "I've never encountered that."
Of course he thought that was nifty. It sells more trash bags, which take up more material, by the way.
But it may not be the last time. Since July 1, large supermarkets and pharmacies in unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County have been required to charge 10 cents each for paper bags and have been banned from using plastic grocery bags. Similar bans are in effect or pending in several cities across Southern California.
It's not good enough just to ban plastic bags. They now have to charge for the paper ones. Why? To encourage using the more expensive bags (which could lead to food poisoning).
The county ordinance was designed to encourage shoppers to bring their own reusable bags and cut down on waste.
People living in these jurisdictions should protest by 1) shopping in jurisdictions that don’t have this ridiculous law, and 2) deliberately generating more waste. How many people reuse those bags to clean up after their pets? If they use something that take more material, isn’t that a net environmental loss? Everyone who used to use the grocery bags to pick up pet waste should now toss their used batteries in to whatever else they use. And their government-mandated toxic lightbulbs.
Some customers have been using odd contrivances to lug out their purchases — including baskets, cardboard boxes, old paper and plastic bags, backpacks and even their hands.
Back the car right up to the door.
Shopper Ana Castorena said that thanks to the ban, she never forgets to bring her reusable bag to the store.
Yes, but what if you don’t bring enough?
"If we're not forced, we won't make a change," said Castorena, 33, standing outside the Hacienda Heights supermarket.
Heaven forbid!
Just down the road from a Ralphs store in unincorporated Marina del Rey, a Ralphs in the city of Los Angeles remains unaffected by the ban. Sales have risen about 5% at that market since the store less than half a mile away stopped using plastic bags, a store manager said.
Great. It will be interesting to see what happens to sales tax revenue.
Long Beach's ban took effect Monday. Santa Monica begins enforcement Sept. 1, and Pasadena and other cities are debating scrapping plastic bags as well. By January, L.A. County's ban will extend to about 1,000 smaller stores in unincorporated areas.
One more reason to move.
Don't yell at the store staff. This isn't their fault.
We have this eco-nazi foolishness in our area, too. It turns out paper bags take up way more room in landfills, and give off way more carbon, as well. And, I couldn't talk chemistry with you, but apparently plastic bags aren't even made of substances most abhorred by the eco-worshippers. Our State has a state-sanctioned religion, and it is worship of the environment, and down with humans.
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