San Francisco bans Plastic Bags!!! YAY!!!
One day, I'll be able to say I haven't used bags in 10 years. Then, I'll be really proud.
Anyhow, today I went to whole foods with my mother and was trying to buy a reusable bag.. AT WHOLE FOODS. and they had nothing in a natural fabric!
So, I bought the freezer bag- the big one- which is totally reusable, holds the same amount as, like, 8 disposables,. AND is only $2.99! So.. next time you're at the store- think of your alternatives... I'll be using that one time and again.
Meanwhile- check out this article!!
S.F. FIRST CITY TO BAN PLASTIC SHOPPING BAGS
Supermarkets and chain pharmacies will have to use recyclable or compostable sacks
Paper or plastic? Not anymore in San Francisco.
The city's Board of Supervisors approved groundbreaking legislation Tuesday to outlaw plastic checkout bags at large supermarkets in about six months and large chain pharmacies in about a year.
The ordinance, sponsored by Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, is the first such law in any city in the United States and has been drawing global scrutiny this week.
"I am astounded and surprised by the worldwide attention," Mirkarimi said. "Hopefully, other cities and other states will follow suit."
Fifty years ago, plastic bags — starting first with the sandwich bag — were seen in the United States as a more sanitary and environmentally friendly alternative to the deforesting paper bag. Now an estimated 180 million plastic bags are distributed to shoppers each year in San Francisco. Made of filmy plastic, they are hard to recycle and easily blow into trees and waterways, where they are blamed for killing marine life. They also occupy much-needed landfill space.
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Plastic bags by the numbers
180 million
Roughly the number of plastic shopping bags distributed in San Francisco each year.
2 to 3 cents
Amount each bag costs markets, compared with anywhere from 5 to 10 cents for a biodegradable bag.
4 trillion to 5 trillion
Number of nondegradable plastic bags used worldwide annually.
430,000 gallons
Amount of oil needed to produce 100 million nondegradable plastic bags.
Source: S.F. Department of the Environment; Worldwatch Institute
E-mail Charlie Goodyear at cgoodyear@sfchronicle.com.
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