Photo: FLLewis/Media City G — The new reusable bag from Smart & Final Extra at 1855 West Glenoaks Boulevard, Glendale
Forget your reusable grocery bag and you’re going to pay extra to get a carryout sack for your purchases at some retailers in nearby Glendale now. It’s part of a strict plastic-bag-ban ordinance, which is being rolled out in two stages.
The new ordinance is listed on the City of Glendale website. Here’s the first phase: “Beginning July 1, 2013 plastic carryout bags will no longer be available at farmer’s markets, larger grocers and food marts with gross annual sales of $2,000,000 or more and stores of at least 10,000 square feet of retail space that have a licensed pharmacy. Shoppers are encouraged to bring reusable bags, or they will be charged ten (10) cents for each recyclable paper carryout bag, with some exceptions.” Apparently, this ban does not apply to some folks on certain public assistance programs.
Smart & Final Extra is on board with the ban
Among the big retailers enforcing the Glendale plastic bag ban is Smart & Final Extra at 1855 West Glendale Boulevard. Last week, when I was in Smart & Final Extra, the checkout clerks were issuing warnings about the plastic bag ban to customers while bagging their groceries in so-called eco-friendly reusable shopping bags. This week, the discount outlet began charging 10 cents a bag for those who did not bring their own.
According to the ordinance, the plastic bag ban expands in a few months: “On January 1, 2014 the smaller grocers, food markets, liquor stores, convenience stores, drug stores, pharmacies and vendors at City sponsored events, City facilities or City property must be in compliance.”
Supporters claim this ban is necessary because plastic bags are not biodegradable and are piling up fast in the landfills. Also, they say plastic bags harm animals and wildlife and are a large part of the litter on our landscape.
Where the issue stands in Burbank
Photo: FLLewis/Media City G — Newly configured city council in the lobby of Burbank City Hall, May 1, 2013
If you thought you’d dodged this issue by shopping in Burbank, here’s an update. The Burbank City Council will revisit the plastic bag ban controversy very soon. I contacted Burbank Public Information Officer Drew Sugars, who got the latest from Kreigh Hampel at the Burbank Recycling Center.
Hampel says city staff have been watching new plastic bag policies develop in other California cities and following the legal challenges to those policies in court. According to Hampel, staff provided the council with a series of updates on October 14, 2008; December 9, 2008; and August 9, 2011. Right now, “… another plastic bag report is being prepared for Council, and the presentation will be scheduled in late August or September…” So the plastic bag ban is still a possibility for Burbank.
This morning, while out walking near Sparks and Oaks Street in B-town, I saw a couple of dirty, discharged plastic bags. Tacky, but not unusual. It’s just a reminder that a better system needs to be put in place for collecting unwanted plastic bags. Also, there needs to be an environmentally safe, convenient, and clean alternative to plastic bags (let’s not talk about the looks of some reusable bags folks bring into grocery stores). It’s not enough to impose fees on the public. City officials have to do better than that.
