The plastic bag ban is upon San Leandro and the rest of Alameda County.
San Leandro Patch readers voted in a poll earlier in 2012 about how the plastic bag ban might change their ways (find out the results and cast your vote here). The vote was in response to a StopWaste.org's news release about the ban.
Below is the latest release on the ban from Alameda County:
On Jan. 1, Alameda County will join San Francisco, San Mateo County, San Jose and 49 other California cities and counties in no longer providing single-use plastic bags at checkout — making reusable bags a must-have for any Bay Area resident.
Here are some tips to help you incorporate reusable bags into your holidays this year:
- Save money and avoid the bag charge by bringing reusable bags while doing your holiday shopping. Get a head start on your New Year’s resolution!
- Give friends and family reusable bags as gifts or stocking stuffers. Stylish, eco-friendly bags can be found at Etsy.com or for as little as $5 on Amazon.
- Get in the DIY holiday spirit and craft your own reusable bag using only an old T-shirt and scissors (no sew). You can even personalize it with a favorite design or message for a loved one. See here for instructions.
For more information on Alameda County’s new ordinance, visit www.ReusableBagsAC.org.
2) We don't drink groundwater here.
Yep, I don't think she read it. And if your their own representatives don't have a clue as to what their own reports say, you can bet nobody else read them either.
If you can see the logic of that, raise your hand.
We all have a tendency to want instant fixes and quick, almost painless solutions - but often those are anything but. I have to say this plastic bag issue has been a huge eye opener for me. My initial reaction was to support the plastic bag ban, I even encouraged City Council members to implement it in San Leandro. And I was all for the styrofoam ban. But that's because I, also, hadn't done the research. This is something that I will make sure to do in the future. As I said "first do no harm"
Aside from the pure tedium, I'm concerned that pugilistic ad hominem tends to "chill" speech by new contributors, thereby ensuring the Patch remains a small, insular club of the "usual suspects." However, in the spirit of science, I decided to test "Fred's Theory of Plastic Bag Disintegration" by hanging a plastic bag outside on our clothes line, while keeping another inside on our counter. Guess what? Checking on the bags today, it is obvious that the one outside is still there! In fact it appears to be fine & dandy, indistinguishable from the control, except that it is a lot wetter. Surprise, surprise, surprise!