Bans turning ‘paper or plastic’ into a debate

updated 2:16 p.m. ET Jan. 22, 2008

WASHINGTON - The inevitable question faced by shoppers at the grocery checkout, how to tote their food home, may soon get simpler.

Faced with a growing push in some states and cities to ban or limit use of plastic bags, many grocers are encouraging consumers to recycle bags or bring their own. At least one, Whole Foods Market Inc., plans to do away with the bags altogether.

But many grocers report that about 90 percent of their shoppers still ask for plastic. And the bag makers, a billion-dollar industry, oppose bans, calling instead for consumers to reuse or recycle the bags. They favor recent legislation that encourage the recycling of bags but don't ban them outright.

Plastic bags have a split personality: They draw shoppers with their durability and light weight, but environmentalists consider them a scourge, tangled in tree branches or swirling in waterways where they can be scarfed up by unsuspecting aquatic creatures.

"Taking that old familiar checkout question 'paper or plastic?' to 'what type of reusable bag do you have today?' would be great," said Kate Lowery, a spokeswoman for Whole Foods, which said Tuesday it will eliminate all plastic bags from its 270 stores in the United States, Canada and Britain by April.

Some states and municipalities have tried to curb the use of the bags or keep them from becoming litter. The New York City Council passed a law this month requiring stores to collect and recycle bags, following a similar law in the state of California.

Last year, San Francisco passed the nation's first bag ban, which took effect in November. The only plastic bags now allowed for big grocers are made of compostable material. Similar regulations are being considered by cities nationally, though proposals in places like Baltimore and Annapolis, Md., foundered last year.

The United States lags behind many other countries globally in placing limits on plastic bags. Ireland and Germany levy fees for every bag handed out by stores, and several African nations have set thickness requirements that have effectively banned the flimsy thin bags that float in the air. Earlier this month, China, the world's fastest growing economy, banned free plastic shopping bags and encouraged people to use cloth ones instead.

"This issue is not going away. It is not necessarily going to take over the plastic bag market in a year or two, but it is indicative of a real trend," said Allen Hershkowitz, director of the solid waste program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group.

Plastic bags are a favorite of grocers because of their price, around 2 cents per bag compared to 5 cents for paper. Used widely since the 1970s, environmentalists now estimate between 500 billion to a trillion bags are produced annually worldwide. Made from fossil fuel-based polymers, the bags are virtually indestructible, taking years to break down and commonly ending up in landfills.

Grocers say they are not deaf to the public's concern about litter, and some have implemented recycling programs and many also sell reusable bags, made from canvas or recycled plastic.

Whole Foods plans to stop offering plastic bags by April 22 — Earth Day — following a trial run at two of its Austin, Texas stores, Lowery said. Shoppers will still be able to get recycled paper bags, bring their own, or buy reusable bags in the store for 99 cents. About 10,000 reusable bags were sold at the stores since the change went into effect in December.

But given the choice, many customers still go for the plastic, said Barry Scher, spokesman for Giant Food, owned by Amsterdam-based Royal Ahold NV. Giant is pushing customers to recycle bags using in-store bins.

MORE FROM GOING GREEN

Going Green Section Front

‘Cleantech’ could be economy’s next boom The Big Money: A green victory in the bag? U.S. companies look to BBQ fuel for freezers Newsweek: Companies overhype the 'green' angle Exxon makes first big biofuel investment Green jobs growing at twice national average Summit predicts 2 million green jobs in U.S. Jobless seek training for green-collar jobs Auto suppliers cross over to wind power 10 hot green job industries in 2009 Going Green Section Front   Add Going Green headlines to your news reader: