Wednesday, March 28, 2007

That kid from American Beauty's going to be pissed.

San Francisco passes plastic-bag ban


SAN FRANCISCO - City leaders approved a ban on plastic grocery bags after weeks of lobbying on both sides from environmentalists and a supermarket trade group. San Francisco would be the first U.S. city to adopt such a rule if Mayor Gavin Newsom signs the ban as expected.

The law, approved 10-1, requires large markets and drug stores to offer customers 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.

1 comment:

Kelly Peeples said...

I think I'm for this...but I'm not entirely sure. That's what I get for my Gen-X cynicism; I can't even get excited about a huge step for greening the Emerald City.

I noticed that IKEA is charging for each plastic bag now, AND making you pick up the bags before you get to the checkout. At first I was a little pissed, then realized that it's a powerful message to consumers. Get 'em to pay and they'll actually think about taking the stupid bags home.