Regarding the Phase Out of plastic bags from the produce aisle (one of our missions!) we’re far behind other coop’s, grocery stores, towns, states and even entire countries!
Here’s a round-up of plastic bag bans around the world:
- Thirty villages in Alaska have banned plastic bags.
- Ireland passed a law in 2002 charging shoppers for every plastic bag, and use has plummeted by 90%.
- South Africa banned the thinner plastic bags in 2003 and imposed a levy on thicker ones.
- Taiwan banned free light-weight plastic bags in March 2003.
- Eritrea, Rwanda and Somalia banned plastic bags in 2005.
- Tanzania introduced a total ban in 2006.
- Kenya and Uganda banned thinner bags and introduced levies on thicker ones.
- Belgium imposed a tax on free plastic bags in July 2007.
- Paris, France banned plastic bags in 2007.
- San Francisco became the first city to ban plastic bags from large supermarkets and pharmacies in March 2007 – resulting in five million less bags used every month!
- In 2008, China (whose consumers use 3 billion plastic bags per day) put a nationwide ban on plastic bags – saving them 37 million barrels of crude oil every year!
- South Australia banned plastic bags in 2008. The Northern Territory soon followed with their own ban.
- Buenos Aires, Argentina banned plastic bags in 2008.
- Malibu, California has banned plastic bags.
- Italy has banned plastic bags.
- Maui banned plastic bags in 2009.
- Palo Alto, California has banned plastic bags.
- Westport, Connecticut banned plastic bags in 2009.
- Switzerland requires markets to charge shoppers for bags.
- Mexico City has banned plastic bags.
- In India, there are plastic bag bans in Delhi and Mumbia.
- Burma has banned plastic bags.
Bangladesh has banned plastic bags. - Westport, Connecticut has banned plastic bags in grocery stores.
- Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon have banned plastic bags in large supermarkets and retail outlets.
- Rye, New York became the first Westchester County community to implement a plastic bag ban.
- Southhampton, Long Island banned plastic bags.
- Easthampton soon followed.
- Los Angeles (LA County) was working towards a ban, but it died in court in late 2011. Opposition came from the American Chemistry Council, the lobbying group that represents the plastics industry. But the tide shifted and now the ban is in effect in LA County.
- San Jose, California, the 10th largest city in the US, put a plastic bag ban into place in January 2012.
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