SF May Ban Plastic Grocery Bags

WKMG TV NEWS ^ | 3-8-2007

[Cagey]

SAN FRANCISCO -- Paper or plastic won't mean the same for shoppers in San Francisco if some city supervisors get their way.

A proposal up for consideration next week would prohibit large grocers from using regular plastic bags. Supporters of the ban say the bags eat up fossil fuels, litter the streets and choke wildlife.

The measure would require grocery stores to offer only bags made of recyclable paper, plastic that can be turned into compost, or sturdy cloth or plastic that can be reused.

The proposed ban has the support of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. But it's opposed by the California Grocers Association as potentially doing more damage to the environment.

President Peter Larkin said confused consumers would wind up mixing biodegradable bags with regular plastic bags in recycling bins, thereby contaminating recycled plastic.

[reagan_fanatic]

But it's opposed by the California Grocers Association as potentially doing more damage to the environment.

Facts, schmacks. It's how you feeeeel that counts.

[lesko]

How do plastic bags 'choke' wildlife?

[Altura Ct.]

Is it possible to ban San Francisco?

[AmericanChef]

Canvas bags are nice, but if you put meat in them or if you end up with some of our famous contaminated food and you don't wash your bags you could have some issues on your next purchase. People don't like to spend time washing grocery bags.

[Arrowhead1952]

However stupid this is, paper bags are better. We need to find a use for the lousy trees the government is growing

Can't use the trees. Those are Algore's carbon credit offsets.

[snowrip]

US should ban SF.

[EagleUSA]

Supporters of the ban say the bags eat up fossil fuels, litter the streets and choke wildlife.
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This is as good as the global warming scam -- the mentally-challenged liberals of San Freakcisco just keep getting better.

[SIDENET]

I love the plastic grocery bags. I get the store to double bag my groceries and when I get home, I save the bags.

When I have enough bags saved up, I have a big, plastic bag bonfire. They make pretty colors and lots of smoke.

[Cagey]

I have a feeling California will outlaw plastic and paper within the next four or five years.

[ichabod1]

I know a guy who owns one of the few paper bag plants left. This will be welcome news to him.

[jonrick46]

I knew that when IKEA announced they would no longer provide plastic bags to their customers that the environmental socialists would take the cue through government restriction.

[bill1952]

If I remember correctly - and I do - :) Global cooling was the impetus for catalytic converters, et al.

And exactly what fossil fuel is consumed by the manufacture of plastic bags. - I thought that they were made from the byproducts of petroleum distillation?

Of course, they don't teach "facts" anymore.

[dforest]

Plastic bags are bad, plastic boobs and botox and condoms, okay. Geez.

[ichabod1]

At least with paper bags the sackers didn't put one item in each bag.

[Dilbert San Diego]

Yep, we gotta be liberal. The latest liberal thing is about plastic bags? I remember when stores switched away from paper bags to save the trees. So it was liberal then to use plastic and not paper. Now to be a good liberal you have to avoid plastic?

What does it take to be a good liberal? How can we keep up with the latest liberal trends?

[Cagey]

LOL!

[voltaires_zit]

> Can't use the trees. Those are Algore's carbon credit offsets.

Maybe it's another underhanded move in the fight to legalize cannabis, since hemp paper is produced from an annual crop, is acid free, and requires less energy to produce?

[ichabod1]

If you can't afford a rebreather, you could just breathe into plastic bags -- or just wear one over your head until you nearly pass out -- then tie it to hold the CO2 for collection.

Why not just hold it over your head until you die?

[ichabod1]

Ya know, Reagan told us that trees were the primary cause of air pollution. Turns out he was right about that too.

[metmom]

ping