The Sacramento Bee reports that the Keep California Beautiful campaign has launched a new campaign to get supermarket shoppers to either recycle plastic grocery bags or bring non-disposable bags when they go the grocery store. And he’s the kicker – the plastic bag industry is helping to underwrite the effort, “hoping to show that more recycling and reuse can achieve the same litter-reduction goals as a ban.”
The Bee puts the campaign in context, writing that “the new push to change consumers' bagging behavior marks the latest turn in the state's plastic-bag wars. In each of the last three years, the Legislature has debated – so far to no effect – a statewide 25-cent fee on bags at supermarkets and drugstores to discourage bag use. Meanwhile, city governments from Malibu to Oakland have enacted bag bans, justified mainly as litter-control measures.
“Bag makers have fought back, suing three cities to overturn or limit the bans. They are now sponsoring legislation that would impose a fee on manufacturers to fund local litter control efforts, with the catch that the money would be available only to cities that haven't banned plastic bags.
Save Mart is helping to jump-start the initiative, according to the story: “Staff at Save Mart stores – and potentially other local grocery chains as well – will wear ‘Got Your Bags?’ buttons. The message will be stenciled at the entrances to some stores and may be broadcast over grocery PA systems as well.”
The Bee puts the campaign in context, writing that “the new push to change consumers' bagging behavior marks the latest turn in the state's plastic-bag wars. In each of the last three years, the Legislature has debated – so far to no effect – a statewide 25-cent fee on bags at supermarkets and drugstores to discourage bag use. Meanwhile, city governments from Malibu to Oakland have enacted bag bans, justified mainly as litter-control measures.
“Bag makers have fought back, suing three cities to overturn or limit the bans. They are now sponsoring legislation that would impose a fee on manufacturers to fund local litter control efforts, with the catch that the money would be available only to cities that haven't banned plastic bags.
Save Mart is helping to jump-start the initiative, according to the story: “Staff at Save Mart stores – and potentially other local grocery chains as well – will wear ‘Got Your Bags?’ buttons. The message will be stenciled at the entrances to some stores and may be broadcast over grocery PA systems as well.”
- KC's View:
- I believe in reusable bags, and that is the system I have adopted. But if sincere and comprehensive recycling efforts get us to the same environmental place, I’m okay with that, too.
