Jan 24 - Alternative Bags the Alternative in SF
A law requiring that San Francisco's largest grocers provide only "environmentally friendly" check-out bags is in the works. Lawmakers are exploring new ways to reduce the impact of the 50 to 150 million plastic bags thrown out by the environmentally-conscious city. From Joshua Sabatini of the Examiner:
SAN FRANCISCO - After failing to adhere to a voluntary agreement to reduce plastic bag usage, large grocery stores in San Francisco may soon be required by law to use only environmentally friendly check-out bags.
Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi introduced legislation Tuesday that would hit large grocery stores with steep penalties if they do not adhere to the proposed mandatory use of recyclable, compostable or reusable check-out bags.
If ultimately approved by the Board of Supervisors, the legislation would go into effect July 1.
Formation of the new law comes in light of grocers' failure to own up to an agreement to reduce the amount of plastic bags consumed in the city. Read more about the results here.
What You Can Do:
- Reduce your input of plastic into the waste stream with CAW's Living Green.
- Learn more about plastics and their lasting impact on the environment.