Oh bag ban, you so crazy.

[bunnyboy]

So recently Seattle has instituted a plastic bag ban. And by Seattle I mean just that, the city.

Only a week in and I've already been told I'll be fined, they'll report me, et cetera.

Well this would be all well and good, and I'd applaud your willingness to snitch, if the following wasn't the case.

1) Stores can run down their stocks.

2) Does not apply in a couple cases.

3) We weren't in City That is Not Seattle, but Nearby.

So if I laugh when you do say we'll be in trouble, please understand it's because you somehow think The CITY of Seattle's ban goes further than its borders.

[pitmonkey]

Don't you know that all of King County is Seattle, and anything that is important only happens in Seattle.

[Fudgethatkay]

Man, bag bans. I sighted more suck about it while in Long Beach. (almost was a self sighting but only cause the cashier was a snob in explaining to me. I'm from Fresno, plastic is our God.)

[Slave to the Phone]

We don't have a bag ban here, but I wish we did. I know that my reusable shopping bags are a pain to pack because the racks don't hold them (I usually bag my stuff anyhow). I've heard about other counties that have bag bans don't have nearly as much litter.

[Sonoma]

When we went on our cruise last year, we stayed in Renton. So Renton & Seattle must be the same thing.

[emax4]

Who was it that told you you'd be reported? A guy named Joe? Tell him your store now has a ban on "Joe", haha

[bunnyboy]

When we went on our cruise last year, we stayed in Renton. So Renton & Seattle must be the same thing.

Our customers think so too...

Basically it's what pitmonkey said if you actually border Seattle.

Don't act like that around us hills raised folk, we get surly.

[Keiara]

Even more confusing are the towns that border Seattle that have a Seattle address, but aren't actually in Seattle. I just moved from that area. The "I live in uncorporated King County" arguments were fun

[fireheart]

We have a plastic bag ban in our state (Australian state). Some other states I'm aware have a levy of sorts (around 11c or so...can anyone else confirm???). The amount of bitching and whining was AMAZING. Although our store did a trial run of having 2 checkout lanes plastic-bag free.

We got people threatening to report us. (Oh and during that time, if people riled me up, I was allowed to get shouty at them provided it was ONLY about the bag issue)

[fish3k1]

Where I live they aren't completely banned but they're taxed at 22 cent (28 cents) per bag and use dropped by 95% nearly overnight when the tax was introduced in 2002.

We do something similar here in Wales - a country-wide mandatory minimum 5p charge for plastic bags was introduced. In the news before it went live there were so many people saying how it'd make no difference, etc. etc. But people really are loathe to pay 5p for a bag

I get the other kind of problem to the OP though - people from England who don't have the bag charge, and complain about it when we a) don't automatically give a bag and b) whine about it costing 5p.

[bhskittykatt]

Our bag ban starts in August. A few stores have already begun it on their own.

I admit, I don't know the metro area down there that well. From Everett to Tacoma, it's all just one big city to me. Bremerton, Renton, Fife....all those are "down there somewhere", and that's about as much as I know about their location.

I wouldn't bitch at a store that was still using plastic bags, though, even if I was smack in the middle of downtown Seattle (or just here in my town starting next month). When does a random customer suddenly become the bag police?

[Merriweather]

We do something similar here in Wales - a country-wide mandatory minimum 5p charge for plastic bags was introduced. In the news before it went live there were so many people saying how it'd make no difference, etc. etc. But people really are loathe to pay 5p for a bag

I get the other kind of problem to the OP though - people from England who don't have the bag charge, and complain about it when we a) don't automatically give a bag and b) whine about it costing 5p.

Sorry, way, way, way off topic -
But I so rarely run across anyone from Wales. Gotta say Hi. I lived in Pembrokeshire for 4 1/2 years, absolutely loved it.
Ok, sorry, everyone, back to the subject.....

[manybellsdown]

Los Angeles county just banned plastic and taxes paper, as of July 1st. I don't mind, I just wish I could actually remember my reusable bags. I'm going to be their best customer buying those dang things every other trip to the store.

[PepperElf]

there's no ban here yet, and probably won't be. so far we often recycle our bags as trash bags and sometimes as dog poop bags.

we do have some reusable bags tho - in cloth and in plastic. my by sometimes uses them as camera bags but one of the plastic ones just broke a strap. dunno if it's recyclable tho.

[Bardmaiden]

I get the other kind of problem to the OP though - people from England who don't have the bag charge, and complain about it when we a) don't automatically give a bag and b) whine about it costing 5p.

They still whine about it in M&S who introduced the 5p/10p bags over three years ago now. My Da works there and the times he gets "I have to pay 5P! for a bag!" it is silly how much they whinge.