Last November, Jon shared some doubts about the San Francisco City Government’s decision to ban plastic bags. According to today’s NPR follow-up story on the ban, That translates into 5 million fewer plastic bags every month. Other cities, including Boston, Phoenix, and Portland (ORE), are considering following San Francisco’s example.

City planners might be interested in talking to Whole Foods about their experience. In January 2008, Whole Foods announced the intention to be “plastic bag free” by Earth Day, April 22, 2008. In my local Whole Foods, they phased out plastic bags for carrying out your groceries, although they don’t yet have many other options if you are buying fruits or vegetables.

I don’t have any empirical data, but I asked the manager of the local Whole Foods what their experience has been so far. She said she was surprised by how many people now bring in their own bags. The transition to paper only was pretty painless….It might help that Whole Foods gives customers a $0.05 cent refund per bag. While I agree with Jon’s point, I also think that behavior change is a step-by-step process. Banning plastic bags is just the first step.

Disclosure: At the time of the writing of this post, I have no financial relationships with any of the organizations mentioned.

Bea wrote about plastic bags that are used at your local grocery store to bag your groceries. And, it seems that this issue is on the minds of city officials as well. Starting November 20th, 2007, plastic grocery bags will be illegal at major San Francisco grocery stores. The thought is that plastic bags harm the environment because they are not easily recycled. Instead, grocers will be forced to used paper bags. And, according to a San Francisco Chronicle article, “Six months from now, pharmacy chains will also have to comply. The policy will be the first enacted in the United States - Oakland passed a similar ban that goes into effect early next year and London and Paris both have followed San Francisco’s lead…”

While I commend city officials’ efforts to stop the use of environmentally harmful plastic bags, I’m not so sure that forcing grocers to distribute more paper bags is the answer. This, undoubtedly, will cause an increase in paper consumption and, not to mention, all of the other resources (such as electricity) required to manufacture paper bags.

I can’t help but think that creating incentives for people to stop using any kind of bags altogether would be most significant. Perhaps, government could provide consumers with a discount off their groceries if they bring their own bags? Can anyone comment on any other ideas their local government is employing and how effective they are?

Disclosure: At the time of the writing of this post, I have no financial relationships with any of the organizations mentioned.

Jon’s blog entry about environmentally-sensitive household cleaners reminded me of another environmental issue that we face at the grocery store: paper or plastic? I am not referring to the bags used to package your groceries so that you can carry them out of the store. I mean the ones that you put individual items into to make it easier for the cashier. For example, I put each vegetable or fruit into a separate plastic bag so that it is easier to ring up at the cash register. On an average trip to the store, I might come home with 8-10 plastic bags of fruit, vegetables, or bulk food. I am hardly alone. Collectively, US consumers use between 500 billion and 1 trillion bags a year.

I am considering making the switch to using cloth bags when I shop for groceries. (I have no connection to this company and have only seen their products on the internet. I would be curious to hear other people’s experiences with cloth bags. Are they large enough? How many do you need? Can cashiers correctly read the produce item number without opening the bag?)

There are other steps consumers can take to minimize the environmental impact of their plastic bag usage beside switching to cloth. Stores and recycling centers will accept plastic bags. (You can find one that recycles near you.) You can also reuse plastic bags at the grocery store for shopping or at home as trash can liners, storage bags, food storage, and the list goes on.

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About the Author

Bea Bezmalinovic Dhebar is encouraged by the creativity, diversity, diffusion and fusion of ideas taking place among people around the world. She is particularly interested in the ways in which new entrepreneurial ventures - whether led by business, government or non-governmental organizations - can make a difference in our quality of life. Bea has worked extensively on international health and development issues with organizations as varied as Management Sciences for Health, the NetAid Foundation, Harvard Business School, Harvard School of Public Health, Partners in Population and Development, Save the Children, Aid to Artisans, the US Agency for International Development, the Overseas Development Council, and the International Center for Research on Women. She has lived or worked in more than 25 countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Bea received a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and recently returned to get an MBA from Babson College. She is fluent in Spanish and has some knowledge of Portuguese and Bengali.