Northern California Wal-Mart Charges for Bags

Wal-Mart charging for plastic bags is now reality for shoppers in Northern California's Folsom, Ukiah and Citrus Heights. Wal-Mart grocery bags may soon cost a few pennies in other areas as well. Are Californians ready?

Wal-Mart Charges for Bags; Hopes to Reduce Global Waste by 33%

What appears like a lofty goal - the overall waste reduction of 33% by 2013 - may well be accomplished one bag at a time. With Wal-Mart charging for plastic bags, the retailer implements the second phase of its "bring your own bag" movement that started back in October. As reported by the Sacramento Bee, Wal-Mart strongly encouraged consumers to bring their own bags when buying.

At this point, encouragement gives way to cash incentives. Wal-Mart charges for bags at the rate of 15 cents; oversized bags retail for 50 cents. The jury is still out whether Wal-Mart charging for bags will be a project that also finds its way into the remaining 52 stores. Does this put Wal-Mart on the cutting edge of California's environmental consciousness?

Is California Ready to Pay for Plastic Bags?

While California consumers may groan at the notion of paying for carrying out groceries now that Wal-Mart charges for bags, the state itself has been working and passing polystyrene ban in various cities. For example, Drop the Plastic Bag shows that Los Angeles and West Hollywood - along with South San Francisco and Berkeley - are leading the way, while Los Angeles County is toying with numerous proposals that make plastic bags and related packaging unattractive to consumers and stores.

The Department of Public Works for Los Angeles County reveals that AB 1141 is seeking to get manufacturers to pay $25 million toward litter abatement while SB 531 is a bill that wants to make manufacturers liable for educating consumers on recycling their products. AB 87 is much more hard-hitting by prohibiting stores larger than 10,000 square feet from offering free single-use bags. The fee charged by these stores for the bags must be at least 25 cents, of which the store could keep a small portion. None of these bills have been passed yet.

Wal-Mart Charging for Plastic Bags Brings Mixed Reactions

As environmentalists rejoice, even those worrying about added charges to an already strapped budget may have a hard time complaining about the 15 cents cost. Californians with an eye on legislative wrangling, on the other hand, do not appreciate the use of bag fees for legislative endeavors and prefer that all of the money goes to waste management and recycling efforts rather than newly created bureaucracies that would oversee the administration of a program, fee collection and enforcement.

Now that Wal-Mart charges for bags, the question also arises whether cloth is really a better choice, especially in light of food contaminants. On another note, the Costco model of handing out either leftover boxes or nothing at all works for a store that sells mayonnaise by the gallon, but it is unlikely to work for a store that sells individual pencil-end erasers.

Sources
http://www.sacbee.com/business/story/2443669.html
http://www.droptheplasticbag.org/
http://dpw.lacounty.gov/epd/PlasticBags/Legislation.cfm