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No plastic bags in LA stores beginning July 2010

boston.com — Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to ban plastic shopping bags from stores, beginning July 1, 2010. Shoppers can either bring their own bags or pay 25 cents for a paper bag.

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  • insomniac8400, on 07/23/2008, -13/+100What a feel good bill. I wonder what they are going to do when street vendors sell plastic bags for 10 cents a piece outside the grocery store?
    • Rich711, on 07/23/2008, -2/+48Arrest the street vendors, for obstructing their 25cent tax like they do here if you put money in someone elses parking meter when you see a cop coming to write a ticket.

      Don't try to stand between L.A. and collecting their fees. And sadly I'm not joking.

      • feliks2, on 07/24/2008, -4/+1Those Impreza commercials are so cool, the ones with the parking meter. Just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
      • arcooke, on 07/24/2008, -0/+13Does that really happen? If so, that's disgusting.

        The fees have been paid, it doesn't matter who paid it... leave it be.
      • notoneofus, on 07/24/2008, -0/+4@arcooke: Yeah, that really happens. I've just been warned by the cops for doing it, but still...
      • Pittance, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1"He asked me to." The day doing someone a favor is illegal is the day I leave. No cop is going to bother with that. If they have the time to arrest you for that, then that police department needs to fire that cop since he obviously has too much free time and not enough work to do.
      • d3dm, on 07/24/2008, -0/+4The traffic cop is only doing his job because he's required to enforce the laws of the city. Talk to the City Council who made that idiotic ordinance.

        When will people learn that it's always about the government grabbing more money? The city doesn't want you to put money in the meter - they want you to pay a parking fine that is 100x the price of the amount on the meter.

        It's the same thing with this dopey plastic bag law. Who is going to get a windfall of new revenue because of this? Where is that money going and how will it be spent? I doubt that it's going to be used to clean up the planet. Perhaps it should be used to subsidize cloth bags? How about a little carrot with that stick, L.A.?

    • ieee, on 07/23/2008, -11/+4That would be a good thing.

      Having to pay anything, even a token amount, will cause people to be less wasteful of anything. It has been proven in psychological studies and some cities in Europe with their own bag bans have had this experience.

      They charged much less then 25 cents. People automatically used far fewer bags. Only what they really needed.

      This is the way to do things. Don't deny people a freedom, just make them pay for the costs of it. Let them make the decision, just encourage them to make the right one.

      • insomniac8400, on 07/24/2008, -2/+9And if this happened, I would just buy plastic bags for really cheap online and put them in my trunk. You can buy like 2000 bags for 20 bucks. That's one cent a bag.
      • worthbuying, on 07/24/2008, -4/+0That's right! After all, "Freedom isn't Free."

        insomniac, that seems like a great plan.
      • dragon76, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2That's actually true Libertarianism. The problem is the system is not a level playing field and some people cannot afford to pay for the freedoms other people can. Then you end up with pre-Revolutionary France or modern-day America.
      • ieee, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1"And if this happened, I would just buy plastic bags for really cheap online and put them in my trunk. You can buy like 2000 bags for 20 bucks. That's one cent a bag."

        That is still a wonderful thing ( no sarcasm ). You want plastic bags, you are free to get them. Most other people will not bother

        To avoid the inconvenience and cost you will put yourself through they will:

        1. Pay for a bag when they NEED one

        2. Do without an un-needed bags when they can

        3. Choose to save money & hassles over your plan by buying a reusable bag to keep in their car or carry with them.

        I have several such bags in the back seat of my car. Each cost me about $2. Much cheaper than paying for shipping and no hassles of ordering new bags.


    • stonebear, on 07/23/2008, -3/+2...
    • zdiggler, on 07/24/2008, -2/+2We'll just kill the trees instead.
      • bluezinc, on 07/24/2008, -0/+14We have plenty of them. There are more trees in America right now then there were at the turn of the century. We have tree farms exactly for this reason.

        Also, paper is biodegradable. Plastic is not.
      • miriv365, on 07/24/2008, -4/+2How biodegradable are paper bags under tons of other trash?
      • betona, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3Trees for paper are 100% farmed, and the paper companies have been planting several trees for each one they harvest for decades, meaning there's more farm trees now than ever.

        Now, paper in landfills, that's a different story.
      • Pittance, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2Because completely destroying millions of acres of land and soil is a good thing. Go ask the countries the amazon grows in about clearing. Takes a lot less energy to make plastic than paper anyways, and plastic is more easily cleaned and reused than paper.
      • bluezinc, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1@Pittance

        You cannot be serious. Do you SERIOUSLY believe we use ***** rare amazonian wood for our paper bags? Does that make ANY sense to you? Why the ***** would we bring thousands of tons of machinery down to the Amazon to harvest rare trees (which are highly prized as furniture or lumber and NOT paper ***** bags) an then ship all that ***** back to the US when we can just buy farm trees domestically for much, much less.

        The clearing of the Amazon has more to do with cattle farming, *****. Learn before you speak next time.

        Also, WTF are you talking about "plastic than paper anyways" and "plastic is more easily cleaned and reused than paper". I don't see any plastic bag recyclable containers around, do you? You don't. You know why? Because you're supposed to put that ***** in the trash which goes into a land fill and takes over 500 years to biodegrade. Put a paper bag outside and tell me if it's still there in a year.
    • focom, on 07/24/2008, -5/+20Charging anything for a bag reduces usage. I live in Taiwan and convenience stores began charging 1 NT (the lowest denomination of currency here, equiv to about $0.03) for a plastic bag, and it still reduced usage by a lot. What it does is put the responsibility on the consumer for using the bag - it's no longer the store wastefully harming the environment by loading me with free bags, it's my fault now that I have to explicitly request and pay for (i.e. support) the plastic bags I want to use and throw away.

      Call it motivation by guilt if you will, the money has very little to do with it.
      • maxterpiece, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2there's a discount grocery store in my area (called save-a-lot) where they charge for bags--3 cents for a regular one and 10 cents for a really nice reusable one. They leave their boxes out for people to use for free. I notice that even when people get bags, they don't double bag, and they try to fit more stuff in each bag. It's too bad it's only the cheapo grocery that does this.... Ahem, whole foods?
    • bluezinc, on 07/24/2008, -6/+15People, just bring your own bag and stop whining about it. It's really not that hard. Throw like 4 bags in your trunk and bring them in with you, problem solved.

      I think this is a good move.
      • RomeyRome, on 07/24/2008, -6/+10When I shop I get at least 20 bags worth you *****.
      • igyigyigy, on 07/24/2008, -4/+11Throw like 20 bags in your trunk and bring them in with you, problem solved.
      • Pittance, on 07/24/2008, -4/+1Exactly, throw about 50-60 bags in your trunk since most of them dont hold that much, take up a lot opf space and weight. I only go 1-2 times a month and I fill my trunk. The plastic can be squashed down to a tiny little ball and reused as garbage bags. Those cloth bags are just a pain in the ass.
      • bluezinc, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1@RomeyRome

        If your problem is that you cannot afford enough space in your car for the BAGS to hold the ***** you buy, then maybe your problem isn't reusable bags, maybe it's that you buy way too much *****.
    • jerryterhorst, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1apparently youve never been to europe.. theres just as many lazy people here trying to make a quick buck as the US and ive never seen that. besides, as someone said, just dont allow it. and 10 cents is still 10 cents more than 0.
  • Rich711, on 07/23/2008, -29/+14So now I'm supposed to BUY plastic bags to pick up my dogs crap. No frickin' way! They thought plastic bags littered around were a problem wait until no one starts picking up after their dog.

    I wish the ***** liberals would stop protecting us from our own liberty.

    • worthbuying, on 07/24/2008, -4/+13I know, doncha just hate us Liberals? All CONSERVing the earth and keeping food prices low by charging for plastic bags. And what's worse? We want everyone to have a home, and food, and rights, even jobs! FOR SHAME! You should be able to get your dog's food and flea collars for free, too, am I right?
      • feliks2, on 07/24/2008, -5/+2Yeah, this'll have a HUGE impact on food prices, won't it?
      • JamesBrown, on 07/24/2008, -0/+9@feliks2

        they give me a 5 cent discount if I take my own bag to the store. It really adds up. Over the course of a year I've probably save about $3!
      • macmaine, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1What's ridiculous is that you think those homes, foods, rights, and jobs magically appear from nowhere through the almighty government. No, dog supplies should not be free, but the government should not artificially create a price for the plastic bags that stores themselves would not charge for if left to their own volition. Rich was simply pointing out an unintended consequence which, similarly to all well-intended government regulation, is a natural fallout from such a policy.
    • notoneofus, on 07/24/2008, -2/+5I thought conservatives were all about personal responsibility. Pick up after your dog at your expense.
    • docbob84, on 07/24/2008, -3/+2Just snag one of the cloth bags they sell in the store. If you cut any tags off of it (and be careful not to do it in front of a camera or something) they don't know you didn't bring it in with you.

      I don't mind if they said no plastic bags, but feel free to use these paper ones. I wouldn't even mind that much if they charged a nickel for the paper ones, as they cost more. But to charge a quarter and then 22 cents of that goes to the city? They're trying to figure out how to tax a free product, I'm sorry there's no way around it. I'd make my own bag out of old shirts before I voluntarily gave money to people who are inconveniencing me. But before that, I'll take one of the bags that the stores leave unguarded.
      • *jooloop*, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Actually, if you want to go through the effort, making your own bags out of old t-shirts is a great idea. Then you avoid all the problems with disposing the t-shirt and the process of making new cloth bags.
    • Rotzooi, on 07/24/2008, -3/+2You want your socialist government to supply FREE bags? ***** off, commie.
    • phauwn, on 07/24/2008, -2/+2buried for ludicrousness of suggesting liberals are to blame for removing our liberties.
  • yourbrokenoven, on 07/23/2008, -38/+4WRONG TOPIC! This is about Los Angeles, not LA. Remember, folks. LA = Louisiana. L.A. = Los Angeles.
    • Rich711, on 07/23/2008, -1/+42Since no one gives two ***** about Louisiana so everyone just assumes its Los Angeles.
      • siszam, on 07/24/2008, -17/+1Aren't you the ignorant, little snob? Plenty of people care about every place in the UNITED states. The world does not revolve around California and yourbrokenoven was correct. You don't get to change the rules of punctuation because you live in L.A.
      • PopcornDave, on 07/24/2008, -3/+2People give a ***** about Los Angeles? Since when?
    • HOTM, on 07/24/2008, -3/+2I personally thought of LA first.....sorry
      • mimigins, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3I read your comment and still thought of Los Angelas, sorry.
    • noonions, on 07/24/2008, -0/+7shaddup
    • VigRoco, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1We here in the forgotten state of Louisiana would never pass something that stupid.
  • gavinhudson, on 07/23/2008, -12/+4huzzah!!
  • netgeek06, on 07/23/2008, -26/+20It should have been earlier than July 2010. The sooner the better for the environment and for all of us and the future generation.
    • worthbuying, on 07/24/2008, -0/+7Bureaucracy does not equal swiftness.
    • docbob84, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3You can't just change this overnight. If I went into a store expecting bags and they told me they didn't have any, I'd leave my would-have-been purchases on the counter. They have to figure out how to charge customers a quarter for each paper bag, which is going to depend on how the cashier bags it for you, and they'll have to train the cashiers how to, say, pack things like eggs into as few bags as possible without breaking them. Though I will say a year would have been enough.
  • greenguy2323, on 07/23/2008, -24/+36Sounds like a good plan. People just need a little help making smart choices. A perfect example of this is the new law against driving while talking on a cell phone.
    • Rich711, on 07/23/2008, -15/+30The law against driving with cell phones is because the act lowers a persons ability to drive safely.

      Plastic bags law assumes that the individual is littering or not reusing it.

      It's why liberals have stopped teaching the meaning of the word liberty in school and downplay it's importance in the founding of our country.

      And 10 years ago the "smart choice" was supposed to be plastic so the hippies could save a tree. You liberals always think you are so much smarter than everyone yet you cant remember anything past 10 years ago. Which I imagine is why Al Gore keeps saying we are 10 years from the point of no return and all his followers forget he started saying this in the 80's.
      • pilot3033, on 07/24/2008, -2/+6If you were able to go back 10 years and tell someone that gas would peak at $4.80 for 87 octane in some part of L.A. with an average around $4.30, you'd be laughed at all the way to the nut house.
        There was also a push to recycle the stuff. Good news is, you can still recycle paper bags and save on the petroleum needed for the bags. The small fee encourages people to go for the best option, reusable cloth bags, and beefs up city coffers a bit to pay for things, like schools, and firefighters (hopefully).

        Anycase, I can't tell if you're against this new law, or are just trolling.

      • siszam, on 07/24/2008, -1/+6This is not a liberal or conservative only issue.
      • skyshock1, on 07/24/2008, -4/+1"The law against driving with cell phones is because the act lowers a persons ability to drive safely. "

        Does it really though? By the same token should we then also outlaw car stereos, hot women on the street, flashy street signs, and anything else that could conceivably be a distraction to you while driving?

        *shrug* I don't have any problems with handling a vehicle and using a mobile. But I guess some people can't walk and chew gum at the same time either.
      • shauncorleone, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Don't you get it? It's never about the results of this handcuffing laws that liberal governments pass, it's only the fact that they had good intentions when passing it.
        I'd be pissed if plastic bags were outlawed around here. I reuse grocery, Walmart and Target bags on a near-daily basis to carry my breakfast, lunch, cleats and golf shoes, empty food containers and a variety of other things. I can only imagine how much I would have to spend on multiple cloth grocery bags, considering I shop once every 10 days or so and generally walk out with a minimum 10-15 bags of groceries.
        Thanks again, big government, for making my life so much "easier"!
    • worthbuying, on 07/24/2008, -5/+1isn't it sad? If Common Sense was still Common, we wouldn't have to have these laws.
      • cnot3, on 07/24/2008, -1/+6Maybe you should reread Common Sense (assuming you have read it), I don't think you understood what Thomas Paine was getting at if you actually think that.
      • Roniniku, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1and this is because "plastic is so much worse than paper" right? Check into the facts before spewing mindless propaganda...and yes...you are common.
    • tas08, on 07/24/2008, -4/+8HOLD ON. You're right people should make smart choices, but there's no choice involved in this whatsoever. It is being forced upon people by the government (politicians who have enough $$ that this doesn't effect AT ALL) because according to the gov. it's what we should be doing. That is a road so full of *****, so against liberty and what America stands for that I don't even know what to say. I am appalled by this new legislation.
      Think of other consequences - what does this do to the poor? If I can barely afford my groceries how am I supposed to afford to buy bags to take them home in?

      If you want to step up and make sacrifices like this, or donate money to charities, whatever you chose to do, that's wonderful and I respect that. We need people who do that. But this is America, we are supposed to be free to CHOSE to do those things, not have them forced upon us, and with no consideration for those who didn't chose to sacrifice simply because they didn't want to, but because they couldn't.

      Believe what you will about global warming - even if it's not true living 'greener' can only be good for everyone - but if we let politicians and rich people use it as an excuse like this to get into and control every minute aspect of our lives.... our founding fathers must be turning in their graves.
    • skyshock1, on 07/24/2008, -2/+5Really dude?

      Can you drive with one hand on the wheel and talk to your passenger? Same ***** thing, NO different. "BUT BUT ZOMG wait, it's people being distracted by the phone's buttons when dialing and texting!!!".... no that's ***** too because you can just as easily be distracted by the buttons on your radio.

      The law is *****. I can drive safely on my phone, but because others can't, I should have to follow suit? Glad I don't live in YOUR state.
      • dragon76, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3The radio doesn't fall out of your hand and cause you to rummage around on the floor. YOU CLEARLY HAVE NEVER BEEN NEXT TO SOMEONE ON A CELL PHONE. They totally ignore everything around them. I went for coffee with someone tonight and he stopped listening to me in mid-sentence to answer a call and left me sitting there for like 5 mins.
      • notoneofus, on 07/24/2008, -2/+4@dragon76: That doesn't mean there should be a law against driving while talking on a cell phone. The law should be against driving while doing something stupid, which is pretty much already covered by careless/reckless driving laws.

        If you can talk on the phone, adjust the radio, eat a cheeseburger, drink coffee, or talk to a passenger -- and do any of these safely -- you should be able to. If you can't, you shouldn't, and should get fined for doing something unsafe.
      • balazsbela, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Is it that hard to push a button twice and use handsfree?
        Maybe you are special and it doesn't distract you, but hell how many people I have seen in my city not paying attention to driving while talking on to the phone.Some have nearly hit me on the crosswalk.
      • skyshock1, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1@ dragon76

        I know a guy who's in a coma right now from a car accident he had when he dropped a CD and was fumbling around for it on the floor. I was also rear-ended by a guy once because he was paying attention to a flashy looking sign on the road.

        You can't outlaw stupidity, thus your point is moot. Everyone likes to hate on cell phones, but it's not the cell phone that's the problem it's the dumb ***** driver who doesn't pay attention.
      • scubaninja, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Sorry about your friend in a coma, but really, the correct response is to let the CD sit on the floor and keep driving safely. If I'm ever doing anything in the car in addition to driving, I make sure I don't glance away from the road for more than about 0.5 seconds, and only if no cars are nearby.

        You can't legislate common sense.
      • *jooloop*, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Before this cell phone law went into effect, you could still be pulled over and ticketed for driving while talking on a cell phone, if your driving was suffering because of it- it's just the "reckless driving" laws didn't specifically mention cell phones, and so now they have to go and make a big deal about banning them period, unless you're over 18 and have a hands-free device.
    • TheTSArt, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2But plastic bags were the smart choice! We used to have just paper, but then they said we were cutting down too many trees so we got plastic. Using plastic was the PC, earth-friendly thing to do. Now plastic is bad too.
    • Skooma714, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1We need mummy government to tell us the right choices!
  • laura1167, on 07/23/2008, -22/+18First San Francisco and now Los Angeles, hopefully the rest of the country will follow suit. Other countries are already doing this. But what about plastic water bottles? They should be next on the agenda.
    • Rich711, on 07/23/2008, -13/+6Not a chance. Liberals love their Evian water. And they feel good about recycling them without ever looking into how much pollution is caused in recycling and how little of it is actually ever used again.
      • worthbuying, on 07/24/2008, -0/+5I hate to pester you again, but you're making a pretty broad statement there. I would rather drink tap water than support the use of plastic bottles. Then again I usually carry a reusable bottle that i fill with whatever I'm drinking at the time, or make the time to have my coffee in a proper washable cup.
      • eavesdrop, on 07/24/2008, -0/+5I prefer Fiji, but Evian is good.
      • siszam, on 07/24/2008, -1/+4Actually, buying bottled water is common in parts of the U.S. because some states like California don't spend the money to properly clean their tap water.

        In the south (Alabama, Tenn. etc.) tap water is clean and delicious. It is impossible to drink the water here in San Diego. It's disgusting. So people aren't buying water because they want to. They have to. Why they don't demand clean water from the city is beyond me. It's not a liberal or conservative issue though. Grow up.
      • *jooloop*, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2@ siszam
        California as a whole isn't really that bad with water. Yes, some places have bad tap water, but here in Simi, our water is just fine. This is more a regional issue, and not a state one. California actually spends a lot on it's water.
    • feliks2, on 07/24/2008, -0/+10Paper water bottles? Yes!

      Surely there are better ways to help the environment than this crap. How about wind power? Oh wait, a bird might die occasionaly, so no that won't help us.
    • tas08, on 07/24/2008, -3/+7Yes, lets make laws that mandate how we in "the land of the free" are to live out our everyday lives. Required to use CFLs instead of normal light bulbs, required not to use plastic bags (remember when we were supposed to so we could save a tree?), required to drive cars that are smaller/lighter/less safe bcz they get better gas mileage, not allowed to smoke even in a bar that I own because other people who use their free will to come there in the first place don't like the smoke.

      Yes, I love this road we're going down.
      • iradik, on 07/24/2008, -0/+4smells like the future
      • jerrycurley, on 07/24/2008, -1/+7required to use lead free paint in our bedrooms. Required to put unleaded gasoline in our cars! Not allowed to line our attic with asbestos.

        I love how you think this is new.
      • fuzzmeister, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1The precedent of the government regulating or banning harmful products or chemicals is well established, it's nothing extraordinary.
    • cadmiumpaint, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3i read a while ago that the oil used by Americans to produce plastic for water bottles only could power 100,000 cars for one year.

      we need to reduce single use plastic containers as much as possible.
      • iradik, on 07/24/2008, -2/+2in the US we consume 20 million barrels of oil per day fueling motor vehicles. there's an estimate floating around that plastic bottle energy use is somewhere in the neighberhood of 17 million barrels per year.

        So ending use of water bottles could conceivably result in 1 day of energy for cars. However, this is assuming people don't switch to coke or pepsi when they can't find any water bottles.

        EIA figures on oil consumption: http://www.eia.doe.gov/basics/quickoil.html

        Sustainability Institute (water bottle estimates)
        http://www.pacinst.org/topics/water_and_sustainabi ...
      • PopcornDave, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1I thought we were supposed to be getting cars off the road. Which do you want?
        /sarcasm
    • Roniniku, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3Suckle the sweat glands of the person next to you.
  • wfiupublicradio, on 07/23/2008, -4/+110this problem of course is dwarfed by L.A.'s larger problem of plastic looking people.
    • grasshapa, on 07/24/2008, -2/+2To each, his own. At least they're not as obese as most of America.
    • DestroyFascism, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1Are talking about attitude?
    • PopcornDave, on 07/24/2008, -2/+3The thought of recycled plastic surgery... shiver...
    • starmanfalls, on 07/24/2008, -2/+0Very good. I remember the hey man he is soo ***** plastic. Meaning a person who was faking being cool.
  • jaybol, on 07/24/2008, -8/+28this is awesome...i try very hard not to get bags every time i go to the store...they always try to double-bag a bottle of wine
    • Jennica, on 07/24/2008, -2/+5tell them to fail less. I hate wastefulness.
      • jerrycurley, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1use used the phrase "fail less". You don't hate wastefulness. You are wasting your life.,
    • n1eb, on 07/24/2008, -2/+7Pretty stupid of them to try to keep that bottle from breaking. Last time I checked shards of glass aren't biodegradable.
      • notoneofus, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1Sand isn't biodegradable?
      • docbob84, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1Glass is not sand, the same way paper is not wood. Glass is made out of sand, but unless it is ground up and smoothed by, say, water action, it does not biodegrade into sand for several hundred years.
    • tas08, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3Good for you (and there's no sarcasm there), but that's your choice, the American government has no right to tell me I must bag my groceries a certain way.
    • Roniniku, on 07/24/2008, -5/+2Why not grow the grapes on your organic farm and mash them using wind power, then you don't need to use those wasteful bags and you can drink from the teat of your self-indulgence. Love how you are worried about a thin film of plastic but the bottle, transportation of the wine, fertilizers and water used, immigrant labour etc is fine. Short-sighted hippies.
      • KMartSheriff, on 07/24/2008, -0/+5Grow grapes on his organic farm via wind power? Oh, of course. My organic farm. The one I have in downtown LA. Silly me. Why hasn't anyone thought of this before? *rolls eyes*
    • iradik, on 07/24/2008, -2/+3really? i'd always get dirty looks when i ask for a paper bag. but then again, i shop at one of these "natural" all organic food stores. i've since stopped shopping there.
    • sturmgiest, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3you fags need to work in a grocery store, then you will understand how wrong you are. If they double your wine bottle, they are doing it because some other customer bitched at them for not doing it. If they put three items in a bag instead of filling it all the way up, its also because someone else bitched at them for making it too heavy.
  • netgeek06, on 07/24/2008, -12/+7Hope this will cleanup with world little bit.
  • r1ooooo, on 07/24/2008, -13/+5Great step to reduce global warming.
    • Roniniku, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1What? The switch to paper or the lack of insight into the issue?
    • starmanfalls, on 07/24/2008, -0/+0Ha Ha I get it.
  • Jennica, on 07/24/2008, -11/+5The other day I was at a self checkout with my green bag and it wouldn't recognize that I put them in the green bag, and my friend got pissed that I was using a bag that wasn't something plastic or paper because I was holding everything up.
    • edeliz, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1u can just put the items on the scale or in a bag temporarily .
    • Roniniku, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2I'm with your friend.
    • vault, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2Your friend was absolutely entitled to be pissed. I can't stand eco-Marxists who hold up the line with their hippy bags.
    • gadgetlust, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1@vault DIAF.
  • thehype2049, on 07/24/2008, -6/+22In Canada, Major Stores already sell Nylon and Organic Bags for about a dollar each. We use them in our house and lots of people use them in the stores as well. There slowly getting rid of plastics but 2010? Comon it should be banned by 1 year @ most.
    • BradMajors, on 07/24/2008, -7/+2How is Nylon better than plastic? Plastic bags are recyclable is nylon recyclable?
      • onClipEvent, on 07/24/2008, -1/+8The chance of RE-using a heavier duty nylon bag is much greater than plastic.

        Reusing something is much more eco-friendly than recycling.
    • Roniniku, on 07/24/2008, -7/+1huh? Slowly getting rid of plastics? uhhhh nope. "Nylon", "Organic Bags"; Unnecessary CapitAliZatiOn rocKs! No stores are getting rid of plastics here, at least no major ones or even Choices (natural/hippie food store here). Yes...I am in Canada as well and no we aren't the miracle place where all plastics go to die hippie. I had a Comonoscopy and my doctor said I'm fine, although he was kind of upset I did it in the waiting room.
    • lisaawesome, on 07/24/2008, -0/+5All the grocery stores (local and national) here in Oklahoma sell grocery totes for a dollar now. If it's in Oklahoma I'm sure it's everywhere in the US already.
  • TheRealDeuce, on 07/24/2008, -4/+10Boston.com, yet it's in LA.
  • dalnet22, on 07/24/2008, -12/+7I can't believe they're going to charge for bags.
    • dragon76, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3Lots of stores already do, and have, for a LOOOOOOOOONG time. Mostly they're bargain stores but some larger chains have as well. Also if you think they're "giving" away the bags at other stores you're crazy. Those bags cost money and you're paying for it in the price of the product.
      • docbob84, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3The store is only getting three cents out of every quarter from the bags. The rest is going to the city. The bags do cost money, and you're still going to be paying for it in the price of the product. The difference is, now you pay for it twice.
  • tenforward, on 07/24/2008, -14/+17Yet another reason to be proud to live in Los Angeles. It always bothers me when I politely turn away plastics bags in stores and the clerks look at me like im crazy. Whats crazy are all those plastic bags littering our oceans. Thank you City Council for setting the example.
    • Roniniku, on 07/24/2008, -7/+5ok hippie....pat yourself on the back and do some actual research on what's less harmful to the environment.
      • Twenty, on 07/24/2008, -2/+3Last I checked plastic bags were less biodegradable and made from a nonrenewable resource, unlike paper bags, or cloth bags which are endlessly reusable. Baby steps, dude.
      • jaredcat, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3Paper bags take up about 10-times more space in a landfill than plastic bags, and also don't biodegrade well unless exposed to open air. Also, plastic bags are made out of a renewable resource-- namely other bits of plastic that have been recycled. I'd rather use a recycled plastic bag than to chop down a new tree to make a paper bag.

        I don't think its really a straightforward choice.
      • sturmgiest, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Paper bags always use much more energy to make and recycle than plastic bags. They are also more expensive. And god forbid its raining when you leave the store with paper bags.
      • *jooloop*, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1"god forbid its raining when you leave the store with paper bags."

        This is L.A.- we're in a drought. But for, say, Seattle, then I guess you have a point.
      • lemonpies, on 07/27/2008, -0/+1I expect if everyone gave up smoking - it would be good for the environment
  • sockpuppets, on 07/24/2008, -1/+61I prefer paper anyway as my dates suffocate when I use the plastic kind.
    • Roniniku, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3*****...so that's what's wrong! Plastic it is.
    • InSectWar, on 07/24/2008, -0/+8http://www.instantrimshot.com/
    • starmanfalls, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2Now that's ***** funny. Thanks.
    • AdmiralHalsey, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3dates like the fruit i assume... all you need to do is sprinkle a little water on them and poke a breathing hole or 2. And a blunt object works well if your fruit just wont stop screaming.
  • LeopardGirl420, on 07/24/2008, -0/+15Quite a few stores will give you money back for using a reusable eco friendly bag. WinCo foods gives back 6 cents for every cloth bag that you bring shopping and use instead of plastic and paper every time.
    • tas08, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2Awesome. I'd shop there just to support something like that whether I always brought my own bag or not. Those are the kind of things we need and should support, not more government bureaucracy telling people in the Land of The Free that we have to bag our groceries a certain way.
    • sloppychris, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3Markets do work!
    • docbob84, on 07/24/2008, -2/+4Do they regulate how many bags you can use? Cuz I'd be bringing in twenty of them and giving each item its own bag.
    • sloppychris, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1There has to be an easier way to earn the $1.20.
  • prisoner24601, on 07/24/2008, -1/+8I'm just wondering why it's taking so long to get biodegradeable plastic bags into stores. The ones based on starches that breakdown, etc. I've seen some containers (mostly for pre-made salads) that are in plastic containers based on corn. Still looks and works the same, just doesn't cause problems by lasting forever in a landfill.
    • Roniniku, on 07/24/2008, -1/+4EVERYTHING lasts forever in a landfill...even biodegradeables. Biodegradeables need air to break down and landfills depend on there being very little or no air in a fill. On a tour of a landfill a couple years ago, one person asked about that; the "dump guy" laughed and said that unless you have biodegradables exposed to sun, moisture and air then pretty much nothing happens. He mentioned that the worst thing to clog up dumps are diapers..."dump"/"diaper" hmmmmm
      • docbob84, on 07/24/2008, -1/+0Compost them. Or, if they're biodegradable, throw them in your backyard without fear.
  • cygnox, on 07/24/2008, -4/+15I'm sick of seeing these things in trees...
    • feliks2, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3I've seen about five of them in trees. Ever. And I live in a rather densely populated suburban (unfortunately) area, which happens to have lots of trees planted everywhere. And parks. And I've been to forests on occasion. And I spend a good amount of time in major cities, which also have trees in them. And lots of plastic bags. All this on several continents. And I still never see plastic bags in trees.
    • tomarocco, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1You either see them in trees or you see no trees. Take your pick.
      • cadmiumpaint, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2 paper bags are sustainable. They're using recycled paper....they're not chopping down trees to make them.
      • tomarocco, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1"paper bags are sustainable"

        Not really. It uses a lot more energy and resources to recycle a paper bag for re-use than it does to use new wood fiber. The resulting deficit is certainly not sustainable.
    • _skin_, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2And chain-link fences...
  • edeliz, on 07/24/2008, -11/+16Call me a hippie but I logged in to digg this.It's a great move that can make a huge impact over an extended period. Hopefully the entire state of California will be next.
  • blaze03, on 07/24/2008, -16/+11Um, what the *****? I'm forced to either bring my own bags into the supermarket or pay 25 cents for one to carry the stuff I bought home? This is *****.
    • ufia, on 07/24/2008, -1/+5Or you could learn to juggle your grocery all the way back home.
    • JamesBrown, on 07/24/2008, -1/+5why exactly should the bags be free? just because you're buying from the store? why shouldn't you have to pay for an item? those bags cost the store money. why are you entitled to a freebie?
      • AlexWills, on 07/24/2008, -2/+5It's not that paper bags shouldn't be charged 25 cents to use, it's that the government shouldn't be FORCING supermarkets to make that charge.
      • TheTSArt, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Who would shop at a store that charges for bags?
    • lpferris, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2Are you ***** me?
  • dengzhi, on 07/24/2008, -12/+5In Hangzhou (the capital of Zhejiang province in China), population: 7 million, they have already gone green. You have to pay extra for plastic/paper bags. Also most of all the taxis and buses run on natural gas. This is surprising coming from China, known to the world as #1 polluter. Go China!
    • Roniniku, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1uhhhhh yeah...Zhejiang is powered by about 80% coal-based power plants(China Light & Power), 10% with natural gas (China National Petroleum Corp.) and the other 10% is powered by burning garbage. Yup...those shopping bags are a great idea. "Go China!"
      • docbob84, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1He/she had to say "Go China", don't make fun of him! It's probably mandated, if he didn't say that he'd be beaten and/or arrested.
    • vault, on 07/24/2008, -3/+1That isn't "going green," that's just ripping off consumers. This whole thing is the most absurd policy ever and everyone's cheering.
    • Mcdz, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Same with BJ (Beijing to avoid any confusion, also the capital of China), population 17 million. However, it only took them about a few months to put this into action.. It's a pain the ass, but it cleans up the city a lot more..
    • SleepyMcShuteye, on 07/24/2008, -1/+0Has everyone forgotten that China is a communist country? Maybe not the best role model for policy in the US....
  • bicyclefence, on 07/24/2008, -5/+8The largest grocery store in my city (Halifax, NS) did this last year...they gave about 3 months notice. Do they really need two years to prepare for this?
  • Triger12, on 07/24/2008, -6/+1I dont mind the paper bags. My problem is the companies trying to make an extra buck by charging for bags.
    • djrbx, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Your missing the point. They are charging not to make a profit, but to persuade and push people a little to buy the organic reusable bags. Most reusable bags are only $1 and lasts quite a long time compared to buying 4 plastic bags for the same cost which only will be used once each bag.
  • jeff1943, on 07/24/2008, -2/+12In Taiwan, with a population of 23 million, you have to pay extra of plastic bags in all stores. The policy started couple years ago already.
    • dengzhi, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3good for TW
    • dengzhi, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3random note: australia is slightly smaller than the US mainland and has smaller population than the tiny little island of Taiwan. hah
    • chrism123, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1Yeah, and they also kill your children if you have more than one and harvest the organs of live prisoners. Not sure if I want to use China as a proper representation of whats morally right.
  • hackiavelli, on 07/24/2008, -0/+26"The City Council voted Tuesday to ban plastic shopping bags from stores, beginning July 1, 2010. Shoppers can either bring their own bags or pay 25 cents for a paper or biodegradable bag. [...] Three percent of the bag fee will be returned to the retailer, 3 percent will go to the state, and the rest will go back to the city to fund an education campaign."

    Gez, talk about a racket. Is Tony Soprano on the city council?
    • JamesBrown, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2well ***** I didn't know it was a tax. now I'm definitely against it.

      while I agree that it's better if people bring their own bags (as I do), this tax is not going to change anybody's behavior. most people will continue to just get their bags from the store and grudgingly pay this tax.

      And the city knows it. They can't wait for all the money to come rolling in. .23 cents per bag will add up quick.
    • BradMajors, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3If the city council was interested in the environment and not in raising taxes they would refund the 25 cents when the paper bag was recycled.
    • jotate, on 07/24/2008, -1/+4Yeah, ***** inner city education.
      • Twenty, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Teachers have been living the high life for far too long. Don't they know that the education system is fueled entirely by rainbows and not grudgingly by money which could be used to fund more and more missiles?
      • hackiavelli, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1It didn't say education. It said "education campaign" which is the equivalent of all those PSAs no one pays attention to.

        Seriously, this is straight out of the mob's playbook. You're just giving those bags away to customers?! You need to start charging them. Hell, I like you so much I'm even willing to let you keep $0.03 on every dollar you earn in our new little business venture together. You just make sure Uncle Sammy gets his cut every week and everything will be fine...
  • DrSnugglebunny, on 07/24/2008, -1/+5The major UK supermarkets have gone this way, and it's been pretty seamless. They've handed out some free re-usable bags too, and the big ones you can buy are quite durable and spacious. I happily bring my own bags out for shopping now. We used to recycle the old bags but this is even easier.
    • extraspecialk, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Glad to see this comment here. The UK is most definately leading the way in eco-friendliness. Although i still don't see why they can't offer recycled paper bags...
  • minox, on 07/24/2008, -2/+13While lawmakers may have good intentions when passing a law like this, it still rubs me the wrong way. It would be better to convince people to use less plastic bags on its own merits. Passing a law does nothing to change to the mindset of people subject to that law. It just places more power in the hands of technocrats and makes citizens even more beholden to government planning. While it may result in less use of plastic bags, it does not inspire any change of heart in the citizenry, and it might even make them more resentful.
  • BuckNutty, on 07/24/2008, -2/+28"And we think some plastic bags, and some aluminum cans are going to make a difference? The planet? The planet isn't going anywhere. WE ARE!"
    -- George Carlin
  • Roniniku, on 07/24/2008, -8/+15What the hell? Yeah, let's use about 10 times the amount of material to make a paper bag rather than a plastic film bag. Don't give me any BS about "it's recycled paper" either. Recycling paper takes FAR more energy than making new bags. Again, don't tell me "but then you're cutting down trees!". Trees for making paper are grown on tree farms specifically for making paper; it's very unprofitable to cut down old growth or "wild" trees for making paper. Call yourself "green" or whatever makes you feel all warm and cozy but remember that when you are stuffing all those packaged foods into your "environmentally-friendly" paper bags, loading then into your soccer mom Escalade and driving back to your house with the nice green lawn you just dumped fertilizer and 500 gallons of water onto. Bottom-line...suck it up and worry about bigger things than paper or plastic.
    • MScrip, on 07/24/2008, -1/+7I think the point of this is for you to bring your own CLOTH bags. Just plan ahead. Keep a few in the car.
    • AVigorVermin, on 07/24/2008, -0/+6who's going to want to pay 25 cents a paper bag when they can bring their own? They have to have some kind of bagging solution on hand...and they didn't want to make it obscene. What happens if you don't bring any bags, but refuse their bags? Honestly...
    • Soave, on 07/24/2008, -2/+3Yep, I remember reading an article on Digg recently about the relatively eco-unfriendly process of recycling paper for bags. Plastic isn't as bad as you think, guys.
    • ngresonance, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1Actually, a lot of the trees used for making paper come from virgin forests in Canada and the South. See: http://forestethics.org and http://www.dogwoodalliance.org
      The best thing all around is to use the greenest reusable bag possible.
    • Skooma714, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3Shh, you're making the enviromentalists feel bad.

      Recycling is *****, wastes more energy than getting new material (except aluminum), and is only a make work project for the government.
    • gubatron2, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1I've 2 strong cloth bags, I can fit a lot of ***** in them and its way easier to carry them back home.
      No need to recycle or manufacture plastic bags (which come out of imported oil), which is also ***** cause its more expensive and requires a lot of energy.
  • joessandwich, on 07/24/2008, -1/+15Once people start bringing their own bags, they'll realize how much easier it is anyways. I bring my cloth Trader Joe's bags wherever I shop and prefer them not because they "save the environment" but actually fit more groceries, are stronger than plastic, and are easier to carry.
    • RomeyRome, on 07/24/2008, -4/+3Want a cookie? What if you bought like $200-$300 worth of groceries? Would you run around with 20 bags?
  • airwalkery2k, on 07/24/2008, -1/+10Having lived in Sweden for several months, where they do something like this. It's basically 50 cents for a plastic bag over there. It's very annoying at first, but once you remember to take a few bags with you, it's really not as much of a hassle--sort of like remembering to bring your wallet.
    • sturmgiest, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1this is the same country that its mandatory to recycle 12 different kinds of material
      • uncertainty, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1i wish we had that
      • airwalkery2k, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Yeah, that was confusing too. When I went to throw some stuff away, I had no idea what each of the signs said on the trashcans. I hope they weren't too angry that I threw food in the combustibles bin.
  • ufia, on 07/24/2008, -8/+2The government has no business telling us what to do. Ron Paul would retaliate by replacing every trees in California with plastic bags.
  • iradik, on 07/24/2008, -4/+9This law doesn't make any sense. It's been proven that more energy (e.g. oil, carbon, etc.) is needed to make paper bags than plastic ones! Plus you potentially have to cut down trees to do it, unless you make recycled paper bags which requires even more oil!

    Any law should ban both paper and plastic or none at all.

    http://www.reason.org/commentaries/smithheisters_2 ...

    Here's an interesting quote from this article:

    "The vast majority of people reuse "single-use" plastic bags for household tasks like bagging garbage and cleaning up messes. Ireland's plastic bag tax, initiated in 2002 to combat the aesthetic impacts of litter on tourism, virtually eliminated the use of the targeted bags but also resulted in a 77 percent increase in the sale of kitchen garbage bags. San Francisco's first-in-the-nation ban on non-biodegradable plastic bags last year surely has had similar rebound affects."

    Time to start investing in plastic bag companies like glad and hefty!
    • minox, on 07/24/2008, -1/+6I agree completely. The thing is, many of these environmental laws actually have more to do with aesthetics than pollution. And as anyone who has read Thomas Sowell knows, well-intentioned lawmakers hardly ever think of unintended consequences when writing feel-good laws.
      • sloppychris, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Wow, I need to read some Thomas Sowell.
      • stanleyford, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1"Wow, I need to read some Thomas Sowell." -- You really do. His book _The Vision of the Anointed_ is so dead-on when it describes the behavior of big government elitists that it's almost uncanny. It's like a manual for understanding that whole mindset.
      • uncertainty, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1This comment really has nothing to do with me agreeing with you (I don't.) But I want to say "Thanks" for providing a reasonable argument without being an *****.
    • Technoloki, on 07/24/2008, -3/+2You're assuming any real "thought" went into the lawmaking. The thinking starts after the law goes into effect. We aren't at the thinking stage yet. Until then, just feel warm and fuzzy you're saving ... something ... earthly ... and some animal habitats ... or something.
    • AuriniDMJ, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2You're a courageous voice of reason on this thread about something that's so *obviously* good.

      Though I will admit, that making the cost more transparent by having a user fee of 1 cent, rather than hiding it in the cost of the groceries themselves, wouldn't be a bad idea... needless consumption is still wasteful, after all.
      • sturmgiest, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1How about letting the damned market decide whats good for the consumer for once?
    • diggitydad, on 07/24/2008, -2/+2Remember when cities started mandating low flow toilets?
      Toilets that used a third less water per flush, but took two flushes.
      You do the math. When you think of government, think of toilets.
    • AVigorVermin, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2yeah, and then what happens when you don't bring bags, and they can't supply you with any because both are banned?
      • iradik, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1i'm not sure how to respond to this.

        i think the next iphone just needs to be equipped with a plastic bag printer. what do you think? i dunno!! be creative!
    • ocean17, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1In all fairness, the plastic bag tax in Ireland had more good consequences than a 70% increase in kitchen garbage bags. That increase had as much to do with Ireland's increasing wealth than the bag levy.

      After 6 years of the change, we recycle more, have less crappy plastic bag strands disgracing our landscape and as someone who has seen this transition in person - a lot more people are using backpacks etc. when they go shopping.

      There's nothing to fear from it and the environmental consequences of using paper instead are only relevant if people don't bring backpacks or toughened bags. I don't think this is a debate, it's simply better sense and everyone did fine when they had to bring their own bags before plastic. As for the paper is worse than plastic argument - don't use paper either, would it hurt to have a spare bag to fill! p.s. Vermin don't be an ass, buy a bag if you've forgotten
  • Konrad9, on 07/24/2008, -4/+2I'm more than happy about the plastic bag ban, but $.25 for a paper bag?
    They do know that people grow trees specifically to cut them down for paper, books, toilet paper, paper pags, etc?
    • charm803, on 07/24/2008, -2/+4OOOOOOR-

      You can buy a tote bag at the dollar store.
    • syntheticgoo, on 07/24/2008, -0/+0agreed. i think this law is meant to encourage the use of reusable sacks and bags, rather than try and get everyone to use paper. the paper option is just a last resort for those who forgot to bring a bag with them.
  • Br3ach, on 07/24/2008, -2/+2I always feel bad when shopping, I cannot imagine how much oil we burn making those bags.
    • charm803, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3Believe it or not, it takes MORE oil to make plastic bags and bottled water than to run our cars.
      • kolop1, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1So it take 4 small bottles of oil to make 1 plastic bag?
    • iradik, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Source?
    • RomeyRome, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2Your life is sad if that's what you think about.
      • mlrigsby, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1Yeah, people with a conscience and a sense of social responsibility really are pathetic.
      • RomeyRome, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Well, you can live your life that way & die knowing all you did was worry about the future. I'll die not giving a ***** & knowing that I had a blast every last minute, even if it's tomorrow.
  • Maevirko69, on 07/24/2008, -2/+3China beat LA to the punch. They started doing this in late May. You have to pay extra for a plastic bag now, or you can bring your own.
    • Skooma714, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Because as someone who lives in L.A, I wake up every morning thinking "I wish we were more like Communist China".
    • hamdoken, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1God forbid we do anything like Communist China, even if it's a good idea! We're gonna use our plastic bags, and we're gonna love em': That'll show those commie bastards!
  • phrstbrn, on 07/24/2008, -2/+3While I'm in favor of things like this, I think incentives are better than penalties (paying 25 cents per bag). Giving "rebates" for people who bring reusable bags seems more appropriate than the 25 cent tax. To give an incentive to stores, offer a tax deduction for businesses who participate.

    Purely optional, but it's in everybody's best interest to get into the program. This way nobody is being forced to be eco-friendly or be penalized, but rather rewarded for doing so. In the end, the same result.

    That said, it looks like a rather poor excuse for just another tax. Just raise the sales tax or something instead of adding these stupid hidden taxes.
    • RomeyRome, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Thats just stupid. Nobody is going to go for that. There's no money to be made there.

      /s?
    • sturmgiest, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Really? There isn't? Because my grocery store gives you the equivalent of 5 cents off of your order for every bag you bring in yourself to be reused, whether its plastic, paper, or cloth. Why not let the ***** market decide?
  • nociva, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3IKEA has been doing this for quite a while now, too (there's a store a few blocks away from my apt). However they only charge 5 cents per bag, but it still makes people think. I bring my canvas shopping bag with me everywhere, as its easier to handle things around since I actually walk to-&-fro from the store. If it weren't so hot I'd say it's damn enjoyable.
    • BradMajors, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1My grocery store will give a 5 cent refund for each of your own bags you bring and use but rarely does anyone bring their own bags.
  • charm803, on 07/24/2008, -4/+1About time! When people shop are wharehouse style stores, you have to box your own groceries. Yes, you get boxes.

    In another local value plus store, you bag your own groceries. Both techniques add to the discount value.

    I think that as a society, we just got too lazy and convenient. Bottle water, anyone?
  • skyshock1, on 07/24/2008, -2/+16Glad I don't live in California!

    I like to use those plastic bags as liners for my bathroom trash can. They tie up nicely when it's time to take out the garbage. The paper kind just don't quite work as well.
    • ButtSmudge, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3I even use it for my kitchen garbage can. Its sturdy, I dont remember the last time I paid for garbage bags. I feel like this is better than buying garbage bags.
      • wanderingsun, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1you must have a teeny kitchen garbage can!
    • Soave, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Exactly what we do too. Very convenient. If you get paper, you have to buy more trash bags anyway.
    • shauncorleone, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1Just think: For only $1 per bag, you could have a pretty cloth bathroom trash bag!! Only $1 every time you fill it up! Isn't government great?
  • bluebirdgm, on 07/24/2008, -1/+7So soon, in L.A., the only plastic bags will be the ones in the women shoppers' chests.
  • AuriniDMJ, on 07/24/2008, -1/+5We're already paying for the bags, it's just not overt; having, say, a 1 cent charge to make this hidden cost more overt would reduce needless waste, and be a great idea for the private companies to take on themselves (or, perhaps, be strongly encouraged to do so by the local government).

    But this law as it stands is garbage, and I can't wait to see what the unintended consequences are going to be. To start with, I'd predict an upswing in the reusable bags, which require 10 000 times the resources, and are used maybe 1000 times. Thanks again, government.
  • cnot3, on 07/24/2008, -7/+10Sounds like a ***** liberal/borderline-fascist feelgood law. This country needs far fewer laws, not more.
    • Skooma714, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2BUT IT'S FUR THE ENVIROMENT. YOU HATE MOTHER EARTH.
  • nynexla, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1ok. if it doesnt fit in my pants...
  • shamanking911, on 07/24/2008, -3/+5"The planet has been through a lot worse than us. Been through all kinds of things worse than us. Been through earthquakes, volcanoes, plate tectonics, continental drift, solar flares, sun spots, magnetic storms, the magnetic reversal of the poles...hundreds of thousands of years of bombardment by comets and asteroids and meteors, worlwide floods, tidal waves, worldwide fires, erosion, cosmic rays, recurring ice ages...And we think some plastic bags, and some aluminum cans are going to make a difference? The planet...the planet...the planet isn't going anywhere. WE ARE!"

    • DirtySanch, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3Alright George Carlin take it easy.

      I used that quote in a paper I did last semester. Got an A. Not just for the quote of course...

      "The planet'll shake us off like a bad case of fleas. A surface nuisance. ..."
  • phoenix2330, on 07/24/2008, -2/+2finally that city has nothing but plastic bags all over their streets it looks like a dump maybe people will actually throw their stuff away or use reusable bags, or i have an idea recycle it's not that hard, i guess people want the earth to go to hell for our kids
  • mieprowan, on 07/24/2008, -2/+3The fauna of the Pacific Garbage Patch send their thanks.
  • DirtySanch, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3WTF 2010? Why wait, what is this 2010 *****? Do it now!
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