NATURAL SELECTIONS
PHOTO: BIGSTOCK
The Bag Bans: How Communities
and Retailers Are Managing
Bringing home groceries has become more complicated with the movement many
cities are joining to become more environmentally conscious. Here's how some retailers and
neighborhoods are handling the changes—while still giving customers what they need.
BY JULIE BESONEN
T
he answer to the "paper or plastic" question at the cash register is increasingly, "Neither." In some cases it is because
consumers are bringing their own bags to the store, but lately government and corporate mandates have been adding to
the push. San Francisco instituted its plastic bag ban in 2007. Whole Foods Market banned plastic bags in all of its stores
in 2008. Other communities and companies have followed suit over the years, and recently ordinances banning plastic bags
have passed in Homer, Alaska; Westport, Conn.; and San Mateo County, Calif., to name a few. Plasticsnews.com has counted
84 U.S. communities with plastic bag bans, with more than half of them occurring in 2012.
It's not just a domestic trend, either. France, Ireland, Italy and Switzerland ban plastic bags, as well as parts of Australia, China,
Rwanda, Uganda and several states in India.
The Evolution of a Ban
San Francisco extended
its plastic bag ban to include
citywide retail and food
establishments, from mom-and-pop
stores to Chinese takeout spots.
There is also a mandatory charge
of 10 cents for paper bags.
38 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE ❘ specialtyfood.com
Because San Francisco was one of the early adopters on banning bags,
local consumers have had plenty of time to get used to the idea. "It's
like banning smoking in public buildings. There's some resistance at
first, an education process that goes on, and then everybody gets over
it," says Courtney Weaver, a San Francisco resident who shops for a
family of five.
Weaver says she's long brought reusable tote bags to the store.
The ban has caused her minimal frustration. "San Francisco has
been moving away from plastic bags for a while, so I've gotten used to
keeping a little roll-up bag in my purse and about 20 in my car," she
