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S.F. Leaders OK Plastic Grocery Bag Ban
City leaders approved a ban on plastic grocery bags after weeks of lobbying on both sides from environmentalists and a supermarket trade group. If Mayor Gavin Newsom signs the ban as expected, San Francisco would be the first U.S. city to adopt such a rule.
The law, passed by a 10-1 vote, requires large markets and drug stores to give customers only a choice among bags made of paper that can be recycled, plastic that breaks down easily enough to be made into compost, or reusable cloth.
San Francisco supervisors and supporters said that by banning the petroleum-based sacks, blamed for littering streets and choking marine life, the measure would go a long way toward helping the city earn its green stripes.
``Hopefully, other cities and states will follow suit,'' said Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, who crafted the ban after trying to get a 15-cent per bag tax passed in 2005.
The 50 grocery stores that would be most affected by the law argued that the ban was not reasonable because plastic bags made of corn byproducts are a relatively new, expensive and untested product. Some said they might offer only paper bags at checkout.
``I think what grocers will do now that this has passed is, they will review all their options and decide what they think works best for them economically,'' said David Heylen, a spokesman for the California Grocers Association.
More
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6513599,00.html
San Francisco supervisors and supporters said that by banning the petroleum-based sacks, blamed for littering streets and choking marine life, the measure would go a long way toward helping the city earn its green stripes.
``Hopefully, other cities and states will follow suit,'' said Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, who crafted the ban after trying to get a 15-cent per bag tax passed in 2005.
The 50 grocery stores that would be most affected by the law argued that the ban was not reasonable because plastic bags made of corn byproducts are a relatively new, expensive and untested product. Some said they might offer only paper bags at checkout.
``I think what grocers will do now that this has passed is, they will review all their options and decide what they think works best for them economically,'' said David Heylen, a spokesman for the California Grocers Association.
More
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6513599,00.html
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The legislation, which was passed 10-1, makes San Francisco the first city in the U.S. to introduce such a ban, said Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, who sponsored the original version of the ordinance.
"Instead of waiting for the federal government to do something about this country's oil dependence, environmental degradation or contribution to global warming, local governments can step up and do their part. The plastic bag ban is one small part of that," Mirkarimi said.
The ban applies to large pharmacies and 54 grocery stores in the city with annual retail sales of more than $2 million. Retailers will be permitted to use any combination of biodegradable plastic, paper and recycled bags.
Grocery stores will have six months to comply with the new requirement and pharmacies will have 12 months.
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http://www.ktvu.com/news/11407499/detail.html
all the rest of this crap is window dressing. for goodness sake, while people die in wars.
stop it, stop being children.
you are distracting us with speeches about saving the planet while we ignore what is killing us all.
shame on you.
San Francisco's board of supervisors - the equivalent of a city council - voted 10 to 1 in favour of the ban, which would oblige supermarkets with annual turnover of more than $2m (£1m) to implement the change within six months and pharmacies with more than five outlets to do so within a year.
The bill's sponsors hope to see a major switch to biodegradable, compostable plastic made from corn starch as opposed to the most prevalent current kind made from oil products. Some critics worry, however, that supermarkets will resort instead to paper, which will impact the environment in a different way because of it will require more trees to be chopped down.
The groundbreaking ordinance - which mirrors similar anti-plastic measures taken around the world, from Ireland to Bangladesh - follows a long, drawn out fight between the city's political leaders and the California Grocers Association, which has resisted the change tooth and nail.
More
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2401714.ece