Nickels is a sucker. I wish he would've put more energy into keeping the sonics here than worrying about bags.

I'm all for being eco freindly but what about when picking up vegetables? I don't want my grapes sitting right on top of my chicken breasts.

Plus, I use my plastic bags to pick up dog poo. I guess I'll have to buy bags to pickup dog poo.

Nickels=loser

I am DISGUSTED by this kind of policing of people's behavior. I certainly agree that we need to be more eco-conscious and I myself make a concerted effort to bring my own bag; however, these actions are voluntary and should never be dictated.

What irks me most about these laws is the fact they are essentially regressive taxes. Much like San Francisco's attempt to tax sugary sodas, this rule will most hurt lower income people. Washington already has an incredibly backward, regressive tax system, behavioral penalties stinks of high-minded yuppies trying to make the world fall in line with their own world view.

I read Danny Westneat's column today about the whole bureaucracy that's going to come along with the extra charge for bags. That's crazy! I'm all for encouraging folks to use totes, and have seen a huge rise in the number of people bringing their own bags to the grocery store. But mandating it? Charging fines? Please, give me a break.

I make myself go back out to my car to retrieve my "eco-friendly" bags when I forget them. Faves are one I bought at Zabar's in NY (it has great, long handles so I can sling it over my shoulder) and then my original Larry's Market back that is well-worn but still operational.
Along with this proposed regressive tax, they will need to hire people to police this? And Nancy, you are right, what about all those produce/ice cream/meat products? Charges for that plastic as well? Amazing to me people get paid to think this stuff up.

I don't totally understand the plastic bag problem itself. I recycle my plastic bags along with all my other recyclables...10-12 bags wadded up inside a tied bag. Lawmakers aren't calling for a reduction in the use of soda cans, cardboard, or plastic fruit clamshells...why is it that these things are apparently getting recycled properly whereas plastic bags aren't? Is there something that can be done to make recycling of plastic bags more convenient, so that they don't end up blowing down the street or caught in trees?

I use plastic grocery bags for trash can liners and for cat litter disposal--my apartment complex requires that litter be TRIPLE bagged, so I go through some plastic. If I stop getting plastic grocery bags because I don't want to pay extra for them, do I then just turn around and buy a box of plastic trash bags? Is that going to cut down my plastic waste overall?

All that said, I do think that using fabric totes more often is a good thing. Just as I find plastic bags handy for some household uses, reusable totes are also very functional. IKEA makes gigantic blue bags that are great for carrying laundry or recyclables to their destinations. I often keep a fabric tote handy in the kitchen and fill it with my recyclables...a reusable vessel for recycling...isn't that worth double points?!

I saw a woman "guilted" into buying a bag at Whole Foods the last time I was there. She was ahead of me in line. I plunked my stuff on the conveyor along with my bag, the woman behind me did the same. The first woman looked, then said hurriedly, "Oh, and I'll take one of those bags, too." Probably wouldn't have happened at Safeway, but Whole Foods shoppers have reputations to maintain! My big problem is in remembering to put the bags back in the car after I've brought them home. The standard reusable bag that I've seen in different colors at different stores (green: QFC, blue: Uwajimaya, purple: PCC, etc) will hold an amazing amount of stuff.

The ACME totes at reusablebags.com are some pretty serious grocery technology. They are expensive (>$10), but are virtually indestructable, stand up by themselves, made from recycled soda bottles, and are as large as a standard grocery bag.

I understand that we frequently have to regulate the many in terms of the few who cannot or will not assume responsibility, but sometimes Mayor McCheese is just plain goofy.

I gave up plastic for RECYCLED paper bags years ago. I also use those paper bags for lining the container under the sink before going out to the garbage can.

Was his honor cowed by the newspapers into allowing them to continue putting their newspapers in plastic seven days a week. Make that 8 days a week. I forgot the Kenmore Reporter!

As far as I understand it, they won't be charging a fee for produce bags (which are also what they offer in the meat department for putting your chicken in).

It takes some getting used to, but I've been quite happy with the cheap reusable bags I've picked up at Bartells and QFC. They don't fall over in the trunk of the car, they are easy to sling over a shoulder, and they are stronger than the paper bags by a mile (I can put 4-6 big bottles of juice in one of those 99 cent bags -- can't do that with paper!).

I don't think the "tax" makes any sense, especially since the money will apparently be going towards increased advertising about the city's recycling/composting program, which,in essence, means they'll be spending the money on a bunch of printed materials that will invariably end up in the trash. Oh, the irony!

I nearly always use cloth bags (the ones from Whole Foods that fold up and secure with a velcro tab - it's easy to keep a few in my purse for the weekly food shopping), although once I heard the cashiers complaining that they were harder to bag. If I don't have cloth bags with me, I reuse the paper bags for bundling my recyclables and other things, and lining small wastebaskets with the plastic bags. (We used to use the plastic bags that the newspapers came in for scooping dog poop, too).

I also like the insulated Trader Joe's bags, although they are bulkier, and sometimes I just put things in my backpack, because I do most of my grocery shopping on foot.

The shopping bag conundrum extends to beyond groceries. Often when I'm buying something that can easily fit in my purse or backpack or just carried in my hand, I'll refuse a bag. I don't need all my clothes folded into tissue paper, or have three shopping bags when all my purchases can fit into one.

What blasphemy, suggesting that Seattle doesn't need another layer of bureaucracy and yet more tax revenue. And the great thing about this deal is that it won't take much intelligence to be a bag checker, so it'll be a great sinecure where Nickels can stash the not too bright son or daughter of some big campaign contributor.

Just because newspapers are declining and firing people, just because WaMu is going down the tubes and Starbucks is closing hundreds of stores and laying off more hundreds of workers doesn't mean that Seattle shouldn't grow bigger and fatter off the suckers who forget to bring their cloth bags.

Oh, and by the way, does this law apply to those paper bags the homeless stash their wine in? Will we need to up our handouts to cover the bag fee?

I picked up one of these a few years ago -- probably at Sam's Club: http://graphics.samsclub.com/images/products/0089033800101_L4.jpg

It's basically a thermal bag that you can stick hot or cold food in. I find that it at least slows down the melting ice cream enough to make it home. Especially if I toss in other frozen things in with them.

But, as for meat ... I have yet to hear a good solution for that from the city. It's one thing if you go to the butcher or meat counter and buy some meat and have them wrap it in butcher paper ... but, what about the stuff in the cooler? If you don't allow plastic, what exactly does that leave us with?

Hint:

Ourt of sight out of mind.

Get them in sight.

If your car door has a pocket in the bottom like my Honda does, fold two or three of your bags into the pocket and when you get out of your car you actually see them and bring them in!!

Now i use them for non grocery stores too

And as for remembering to bring them BACK out to the car, we try to that as soon as they're unpacked, but if that is not possible for some reason, we hang them from the door knob of the front door so we see them and grab them next time we are heading out.

I don't think it's fair at all.

If he would like to make that choice and decision for himself and his family, then that is wonderful. It's wonderful that so many people already do make that decision.

I will admit to having 2 bags... Whole Foods... and Fred Meyer.

I have tried to make a concentrated effort to take paper over plastic. MR. MAYOR... IF YOU READ THIS!!! Paper should not be included in this. It's wonderful for recycling the newspapers and such. Paper is able to be recycled so leave it alone. I live in an apartment complex and don't have my own recycle. It's much nicer to stand a paper bag up in the corner by where I take all my food out of it's box that it came in so that I can break down the box and put it in the paper. I don't take my recycling out each week because we only have 2 recycle cans for 32 units of people.

My main complaint is that when you self check at Top Foods in Edmonds, they don't bother to ask if you want paper or plastic if they jump in and bag for you.

And Whole Foods went mostly paper when they got rid of the carryout bags in plastic earlier this year.

But Safeway seems to always do plastic. (Which does come in handy for taking out the other garbage ... and you can always drop off your bags at the store again because most of them have a recycle bag bin... )

I say we all bring our own plastic bags back. LOL They couldn't charge a fee for plastic if you brought it in with you... right? And then you could just re-use that plastic bag for your produce. You really wouldn't be able to use it again for meat or seafood... but there's probably another bag around somewhere...

"Are you proposing a discounted fee -- say, a dime -- on those little frozen-food plastic bags that keep the Dreyer's strawberry ice cream from melting onto my box of Product 19? And what about the plastic bags I use to wrap meat products -- keeping the Draper Valley chicken "juice" from seeping onto my fresh ears of corn?"

These are not counted in the rule -- I'm censoring my snark for you, since I usually like your blog.

I've been using envirosax.com bags - super compact when folded, and roomy bags that you can stash anywhere, so it's easy to have them on hand. And you can hand wash them too, if anything spills inside.

I'm torn.

In principle, I oppose the 20 cent charge. I occasionally need new bags (to use for recycling or other things, or because I arrive at the store without a bag) and I don't see why I should pay more than the actual cost for a bag. I certainly don't throw my used bags in the ocean!

But as a practical matter, many people do waste bags, and this law will greatrly reduce that waste. So maybe I just need to see the big picture.

Then again, is the law enforceable? Won't I be able to just take some free produce bags (buying a piece of lettuce or a grape in each if necessary) and then use those to carry everything else?

mione, paper bags produce twice the air and water pollution to both make AND recycle as plastic bags. They aren't any better for the environment! That's why they are included in the ban.

But for the millionth time, everyone, produce bags, bags in the meat department, and frozen food bags are NOT included in this proposal.

Whoops! Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that that the cost for produce/meat-counter bags, etc. were included in the proposal (though I obviously did). They're most definitely not, and I knew that. I've tweaked that sentence in the post, so as not to "confuse" anybody else. Thanks for bringing it to my attention -- without any "snark"!

I'm all for using the "eco-friendly" bags - and do as often as I remember. I have a bunch to choose from and like the TJ bags because they can get wet. Still need to use plastic to wrap the meat, chicken, frozen stuff, etc. Also use the plastic bags for garbage can liners and other such needs.

Think that his Majesty the Mayor is way off on the penalties and enforcement plans for use of plastic bags. The better idea is the discount some businesses give for the reuse of bags.

Also, it is my understanding that paper doesn't hold a significant advantage over plastic when it comes to being eco-friendly. See http://www.greenfeet.net/newsletter/debate.shtml

When you use plastic bags for trash liners and pet waste do you discard the filth and reuse the bags multiple times. If not all you are doing is delaying the bags arrival at the landfill. That isn't the same as recycling.

After seeing the CBC documentary on plastic bags I swore I would never use another one. It's been hard, but I am finding ways, as the pollution and upheaval that are caused by this product are pretty harmful to the environment, animals and the cost to produce them.
http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/battleofthebag/
Breaking old habits is never easy.

Somehow this all seems like trying to legislate morality -- Mayor Nickels, please stay out of my kitchen as well as my bedroom!

Seriously though, I think this is all ridiculous. I do have bags (did you know you can get wine carriers for free at Fred Meyer?) and try to remember them. Sometimes I forget, but we are good about recycling them, and choose paper whenever we can for reasons already described.

We managed before plastic and paper bags and we will manage after they are gone. People will adjust. Maybe someday we could buy are cold drinks in a reusable bottle.

Just ran across an entry on just this topic on "Chocolate and Zucchini," a blog written by a nice young woman in Paris:

http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2008/06/reusable_shopping_bags.php

Apparently in Paris, grocery stores no longer give away bags, but sell either lare/sturdy ones or the cheap thin ones....unless of course you bring your own.

Gee, it's a good thing plastic bags have always been around and that we have never had to figure out a way to carry our goods with them!

How about this, wash and dry those plastic produce bags at home and then bring them with you when you go shopping. That's what we do.

As for forgetting to take the bags to the store, maybe if you had to pay an extra dollar every time, then I bet you would be sure to remember those bags next time.

While people are dying from no access to clean water and/or lack of food, we're bitching about having to bring our own bags to the store with us.

Wake up people!

Dear Nancy;
I'm amazed that you are a 'late adopter' of Re-useable shopping carrier bags!
I've used them for more than 10 years; beginning with the QFC Canvas bags ($5). I have added Trader Joe's ($1.99 to $2.99) and Fred Meyer ($0.89 + $0.99) which are recycleable; and Traget (3 sizes from $0.99 to $1.49) in foldable numbers that range from check book size to 6x6 snap fold.
I keep the several doxen bags in a box in the back of my RAV-4 and sort through for the most appropriate bag for whatever store I'm going into.
I do not limit my use to food shopping, but use them for all shopping.
It'sa simple routine to get into, and the results are great. lowering the need for raw wood pulp, raw plastic stocks; anmd the processing and manufacturing costs of putting non-reusable bags in stores.
I go home knowing that I have saved a few trees, and reduced cleanup costs of plastic production.
Reusable carrier bags are the norm in most of the worlds industrial nations, where you have to pay heafty fees to use disposable bags.
As for your rationale of using your stoire bags for other purposes, it does not offset the production polluction and costs.
Uline.com; an industrial products supplier has many products that can be used for home use. I bought about $100 worth of products from then 5 years ago that eliminate my need for recyclable containers. I bought Red Bins that I place in all rooms for paper recyclables, Red 5 gallon buckets that take odd sized recyclables and compost materials. You can get "poop"bags from then or any Pet Products website.
It is NOT a matter of no available products, but a lack of will and interest on the part of apathetic consumers to search them out and use them!

I LOVE my Enviro-sax!