Wesley Barga of Central Co-op shows us the future of grocery bag technology (Image: CHS)
Come July 1, Seattle will never have to answer the question “paper or plastic?” ever again.
Starting Sunday, the plastic bag ban passed in December of last year will go into full effect. A quick summary — the ban will prohibit retailers in Seattle from providing customers with plastic bags, even if they are marked as compostable, biodegradable or otherwise. Instead, you will now have two bagging options:
1) Stores can provide you with paper grocery bags, but are required to charge the customer at least 5 cents per bag (UPDATE: However, smaller paper bags will still be free, charging for those will be optional and up to the retailer).
2) The second suggested option is that you buy a handy-dandy re-usable bag, therefore freeing yourself of a pesky 5 cent charge (see what they did there?).
Little plastic bags for produce, meat, bulk foods, newspapers, dry cleaning, and take-out food will still be permitted, so no worries for lovers of QFC trail mix or Rancho Bravo. Also exempt from the 5 cent charge will be “customers using vouchers or electronic benefit cards from state or federal food assistance programs for grocery purchases.”
Several of the grocery stores on Capitol Hill have already made the switch to paper.
“We decided two years ago to get rid of our plastic bags and stop ordering them,” said Wesley Barga of Central Co-op. “The company in China we were getting them from sent us an entire years worth after we stopped ordering them though, so we finally got rid of the last of them by donating them all about a month ago.”
Central Co-op imposed a policy of charging 10 cents a bag, and the move has been extremely effective in getting people to switch.
“It’s rare we go through more than four or five paper plastic bags a day,” Barga said, “most people just bring their own re-usable bags now.”
Central Co-op is polling its members in its latest newsletter about shifting the fee down to the 5 cent minimum mandated by the new city law. All the money Central Co-op currently makes on bag charges goes to sustainability efforts. “No matter what people decide on the price of the surcharge, that will continue,” Barga said.
The Capitol Hill Trader Joe’s have never had plastic bags and most shoppers at the 17th Ave location already utilize re-usable bags.
While Central Co-op, Trader Joe’s and Bartell Drugs are selling re-usable bags for a modest fee of $1.99, those on the Hill looking to be extra thrifty can prepare for the ban by heading to QFC and Walgreens — both have put re-usable bags on sale for 99 cents to encourage shoppers to make the switch.
Below is a detailed summary of what the bag ban will mean for you, via Seattle Public Utilities:
- Prohibits all Seattle retail stores from providing customers with single-use plastic carryout (shopping) bags, including those advertised as compostable, biodegradable, photodegradable or similar.
- Allows retail stores to provide customers with any size recyclable paper or reusable carryout bags
- Requires retail stores to charge a minimum of 5 cents for paper carryout bags of 1/8 barrel (882 cubic inches) or larger. These are typical grocery bags with a flat bottom greater than 60 square inches.
- Requires retail stores to show all bag-charges on customer receipts; stores keep all revenue. The charge is a taxable retail sale.
- Allows retail stores, at their discretion, to charge for smaller bags or provide them free.
- Allows retail stores to provide carryout bags made of plastic 2.25 mil or thicker, with or without charge at their discretion.
- Requires that bags to which the 5-cent charge applies contain at least 40 percent post-consumer recycled fiber and display the minimum recycled content on the outside of the bag. Use of recycled fiber and labeling is encouraged for all sizes of paper bags.
- Imposes a $250 fine for violations.
- Promotes reusable carryout bags as the best alternative to single-use plastic bags.
Exemptions from the law
- Customers using vouchers or electronic benefit cards from state or federal food assistance programs for grocery purchases are exempt from the 5-cent paper bag charge.
- Plastic bags used in stores for bulk items or to protect vegetables, meat, fish and poultry, frozen foods, flowers, deli foods and similar where moisture would be a problem are exempt.
- Plastic bags for take-out orders from restaurants are allowed, though use of recyclable paper bags is encouraged.
- Dry-cleaner, newspaper, and door-hanger bags and plastic bags sold in packages containing multiple bags intended for use as garbage bags or to contain pet waste, or approved compostable food and yard waste bags are exempt.
- Note: Merchants with supplies of plastic carryout bags purchased before Ordinance 123775 became law January 19, 2012, may use them until their supplies run out.
How, exactly, will QFC enforce the 5¢ charge at their U-Scan automated checkouts, I wonder?
I remember small fees to limit bag usage in Italy when I was there 14 years ago. Glad to see the good ol’ U S of A finally catching up.
What solutions have people used for their cat litter? I use all my old QFC bags when I clean the litter box every night and then put those bags in the garbage. Any suggestions?
good question — probably use the White trash can liners. I’m not getting rid of my cats! :)
…and no more liners for small waste baskets, or even using the paper bags for my recycling, not at 5¢ each. Yes, buying a petroleum-based container that will break and need to be replaced every couple of years is much better.
I’m buying the biodegradable kind. 700 for $24 on Amazon and they come in several festive colors to suit my ever-changing moods. My cats can continue to poop without concern.
http://www.amazon.com/700-Biodegradable-Waste-Bags-Pet/dp/B0
“or even using the paper bags for my recycling, not at 5¢ each”
Isn’t five cents worth it to fill *a whole grocery bag* full of recycling?
Buy a roll of dog poop bags.
I assume it’s going to be on the “Are you using your own bags?” honor system. The U-scans are already set up to ask that question.
This is going to lead to lots of stock image hilarity. WHY CAN’T I HOLD ALL THESE LIMES?
I use the 4 gallon-sized BioBags (available at PCC, Whole Foods, and [maybe] Central Co-op).
Kelton, you’ve made a mistake in your story. In paragraph three, only 1/8 bbl or larger, or in other words, large paper grocery bags have a mandated 5 cent fee. Smaller paper bags can be charged for or not, at the merchant’s discretion.
Plenty of options. Bulk Bags, bread bags, doggie poo bags. Even with the plastic bag ban, there will still be tons of food packaging bags and waste that will work–headed for the landfill anyhow! I generally use bread bags for my kitty.
Go to Mud Bay. Buy Worlds Best Cat Litter. Scoop once a day. Flush down toilet. Easy as pie.
I’ve never used a cat litter so odor free. So easy to clean. So not stinky. So easy clumping. So flushable. No bags needed. No mess. Easy clean up. Seriously, this stuff is amazing.
WORLDS BEST CAT LITTER. Made of corn. You just scoop once day, flush down toilet. Add more litter as needed. You never have to do that dump the whole box, clean it, start over, get mess everywhere, look for a bag to put it in. It’s amazing. Made of corn. Natural. No chemicals. No clay.
http://www.worldsbestcatlitter.com/
We use World’s Best Cat Litter and I was unaware you could flush it. Awesome!
Flushing cat litter? I’m pretty sure SPU and Puget Sound might feel otherwise… http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/02/26/cat-litter-is-it-gree
also: http://www.seattle.gov/util/Services/Drainage_&_Sewer/Keep_Water_Safe_&_Clean/RestoreOurWaters/PreventPollution/Petwaste/index.htm
Right, I’ve noticed that. And, the only way to currently use a paper bag without help from the assistant is to pick that option. Otherwise, placing the paper bag in the bagging area throws the system off, and it asks you to remove it.
I usually use my QFC platic bags for lunch Glade container to bring to work (I don’t want spaghetti inside my backpack), but I have no problem figuring out a new solution.
I hand wash my several recyclable grocery bags and hang dry them to be sure no meat juice or veggie product rub off in them.
Wow, that Wesley fella is cute AND smart?! I’m going to the co-op.
when the self-scanners first appeared, the “using your own bag” option required the cashier to come and manually unlock the system, but it’s been at least 2 years since they changed it, and now as soon as you say you’re using your own bag, it resets itself. No cashier needed.
The only problem is if you’re coming from another store and there’s already something else in the bag – you have to either take the earlier item out, or just put all your new groceries on the platform by htemselves and then put them in your bag after you’ve paid – which adds maybe 30 seconds to your trip..
I just scoop the poop (without litter – I use pellets that don’t cling) into the toilet every day so I only have to use a bag on litter once a week. I just do my litter box change at the same time I take out my regular garbage and scoop it in there. No extra bag needed.
I saw a bunch of people on here saying they flush their cat litter down the toilet. Don’t do it! Cats have a lot of bacteria in their feces that are dangerous to humans and other animals. When you flush it down the toilet you’re letting it get into our water system. To save on the amount of plastic bags if you scoop every day, look into a can similar to a diaper can. I have one called Littermate sold at Petco or Petsmart I forget which and the bags are not only biodegradable, but they are very large and only need to be thrown out every three months. The can is sealed so there is no smell.
For my cat litter – clumping, I use paper lunch sacks bought at Costco for $6/500 sacks; cats have their own small garbage can that is emptied to the outside once full.
Paper grocery require four times the energy to produce and have tremendous associated environmental costs. Great move Seattle. One step forward, two steps back.
Re-usable bags = good. Paper instead of plastic = bad.
Further, not all re-usable bags are created equal. A lot of the crummy “re-usable” bags that you can buy in stores would be better described as “multi-use disposable”. If your plastic “reusable” bag falls appart after a dozen trips to the store it is no better than using the thin disposable bags, and might actually be worse.
Good grief, how did you people live so long? There’s a very simple solution to the scale picking up the weight of the bag. Hold the bag in your hand until you scan your first item. Then put the item in the bag and put it down at the same time. Problem solved.
Dont own a car, dont always have 6-8 cloth bags with me when I do my bi-weekly shopping for the wife and newborn. Taking a cab isnt cheap and some cabbies dont exactly like 6 block trips (they want larger fares). Folding metal trolly carts wont work because I would need to bring these with me to work as I shop on the way home from work and they only hold 1-2 bags of groceries.
Amazon Fresh is very close to pricing for QFC, but they dont carry generic items. The increase in costs are offset by the lack of sales tax (125$ of groceries got me 55 cents of taxes and no delivery fee).
So it would seem that for people who dont own a car, living in Seattle, the city would rather you not shop at the local store, go online and pay fewer taxes. Granted not all foods are taxes, but processed foods are, same thing with paper towels and plastic bags are, unless you buy them online through Amazon.
This is a stupid ban and it would have been far less intrusive to simply force stores to switch to biodegradable bags or ban the dumping of garbage into the freaking ocean. I know wind blows bags all over the place, so why not have a landfill thats along the shoulder of a hill? Thus providing a wind breaker? But nope, its much easier to place the burden onto the citizen than it is to place it on the city or waste management.
Do no flush your cat poop. Bad for the environment. Sorry! Scoop it into bags and put it in the garbage.
Or you could just make a minimal effort to change, and remember to bring your 6-8 bags with you once every 2 weeks.
Yeah, except for this note which it’s easy to skip right past:
“Central Co-op imposed a policy of charging 10 cents a bag, and the move has been extremely effective in getting people to switch.”
Imposing just a minimal fee will likely result in a hugely disproportionate change in behavior, i.e, people will stop using as many bags just to avoid this little fee, silly as that sounds.
You live six blocks from the store and can’t make a quick trip home for a cart or keep reusable bags in your backpack? I hope you can learn some problem-solving skills so your kid doesn’t grow up with a dad who just makes excuses instead of getting stuff done.
“You live six blocks from the store and can’t make a quick trip home for a cart or keep reusable bags in your backpack?”
Ahhh yes, instead of walking one block from the convention center to pike, catch any bus up to broadway, then one block to QFC, load up, then 6 blocks home. Instead of that, you want me to walk 4 blocks home, grab my bags, then walk 6 blocks to QFC, load up, then 6 blocks back home. Wow. Yeah, sorry, but I would rather not walk 16 blocks, twice a week, just to buy groceries.
“I hope you can learn some problem-solving skills so your kid doesn’t grow up with a dad who just makes excuses instead of getting stuff done.”
Thanks for making this personal. I should have taken a photo, to cherish this moment forever.
“Central Co-op imposed a policy of charging 10 cents a bag, and the move has been extremely effective in getting people to switch.”
How does 10 cents mean anything, when you’re buying 50-100$ worth of food?
This makes absolutely no sense. There are plenty of people with horrible, communicable intestinal diseases crapping down toilets. That’s why it’s called a sewage treatment plant. Please explain what is so special about cat crap that it can’t be flushed down the toilet.
Or, you could just make a habit of planning for it, and those two trips back home to get the bags you forgot won’t be necessary. And the other trips are the same whether you brought your own bags or you got them at the store. Whining is free either way.
wow, I am so sick of hearing all the whining about this ban.
for small trash cans: if you really must line them (which I personally don’t think you need to) buy small biodegradeable bags to line them with. or get a plastic one and wash it occasionally. they don’t break that quickly, I’ve had mine since the 90’s. if you are that much against plastic bins, then get a metal one. or wood/wicker that has metal lining so you can wash it.
for your dog: buy dog poop bags. you chose to own an animal, which means you need to be responsible and spend money for a few things for it.
for bringing your own bags to the store: you can buy nylon bags that fold down to practically nothing, and hold a ton. I carry one in my purse and it takes up very little space. putting 2 or 3 in a backpack would be nothing. I’ve used mine for years.
it’s not rocket science, people.
And….dog poop bags are incredibly cheap on eBay.
I don’t buy it that there’s anything so extra-horrible about the cat poop. It’s the litter that clogs pipes and sewers. Clumping or not, it should not be flushed.
In a few months, everyone will have adjusted to life without free plastic bags, and we will wonder why we didn’t do this years ago.
@russ: I still don’t get your complaint. if you really must do your grocery shopping after work, then get into the habit of bringing a backpack to work every day. it’s not that hard to keep a few reusable bags in it to use whenever you have unplanned shopping.
like kate said in her comment below- some types of reusable bags fold down really small, you could throw several in your backpack and hardly notice they were there.
or pay the 5 cent fee for paper bags. I’ve lived approx. 6 blocks from the grocery store and paper bags can withhold this walk even in the rain.
wrold’s best litter made of corn, that would mean genetically modified corn(one can assume). no thanks. and one of my cats cannot ingest grains, so grain based litters are no good for her anyway. (remeber, they lick all that off their paws)
and agreed on not flushing litter, for the same reasons others listed above.
Now I have a reason to drive to the store. No plans on toting bags around with me all day just so I can stop at the store on the way home. I’ll just leave the tote bags in my car and drive up to the store AFTER I get home.
I agree that plastic is a huge, huge, environmental problem. And we certainly need to change. But the change needs to occur at the production level, NOT the consumer level. Plastic bags are a very small part of our plastic pollution. Even biodegradable plastic retains it’s molecular structure when it breaks down. Stop producing plastic. That’s the answer. Plastic bags? Means nothing in the scheme of things.
Oh, and I forgot to mention ,the real issue – bags! I have found that there are still plenty of plastic bags for scooping: bread, tortillas, crackers, chips, produce etc. All these can be set aside for later use, I always have a nice little stockpile withou having to purchase actual poop bags. Makes one look at plastic bags differently when you can consider a second practical re-use for them.
I remember being charged for bags in Germany unless you bring your own 40 (FORTY!!!) years ago. As always, we trend a little late in things environmental
the obvious answer: BUY A PLASTIC BAG!
good grief Jim – the scale still picks up the “extra” weight even when you’ve already scanned the item you’re buying, that’s how the system is able to prevent theft – by detecting extra weight on the scale throughout the transaction and until the transaction is paid and completed.
so Genevieve is correct, just take the extra 30 seconds to respond to the prompt about having your own bag.
TO TWO COMMENTS ABOVE. WE MUST START AT THE CONSUMER BASED LEVEL. PLASTIC BAGS ARE 3 on TOP OCEAN TRASH COLLECTED BY BEACH COMBERS an organization dedicated to beach clean up worldwide. The idea behind the bag ban is that if we can make change locally we can change the norm and there for change the big guys. I have to say that the plastic industry has money, and production is based in profit, so unless the demand changes the producers arent going to change their ways, not unless all of a sudden they cant make profit. When people bring their own bags they become aware of their surroundings and begin to see plastic bags everywhere. (or atleast thats what happened to me and the people I know) and stop using other forms of plastic like single use water bottles. I can say only this with awareness comes change, but sometimes change is what brings awareness.