Soon we will all be mandated to haul our groceries, booze, and hamburgers around in organic-certified, fair-trade, shade-grown burlap sacks.

Many municipalities in the
Golden State have
now banned plastic bags. First, they came for our plastic bags;
now they are coming after paper bags… at least in California.
California
Senate Bill 270 would prohibit grocery stores, convenience
stores, wine shops, fast food joints and so forth from handing out
free paper bags to their customers. From the bill:

This bill, as of July 1, 2015, would prohibit stores that have a
specified amount of sales in dollars or retail floor space from
providing a single-use carryout bag to a customer, with specified
exceptions. The bill would also prohibit those stores from selling
or distributing a recycled paper bag at the point of sale unless
the store makes that bag available for purchase for not less than
$0.10.

The bill would also allow those stores, on or after July 1,
2015, to distribute compostable bags at the point of sale only in
jurisdictions that meet specified requirements and at a cost of not
less than $0.10.

The bill would require these stores to meet other specified
requirements on and after July 1, 2015, regarding providing
reusable grocery bags to customers, including distributing those
bags only at a cost of not less than $0.10.

The bill, on and after July 1, 2016, would additionally impose
these prohibitions and requirements on convenience food stores,
foodmarts, and entities engaged in the sale of a limited line of
goods, or goods intended to be consumed off premises, and that hold
a specified license with regard to alcoholic beverages.

An alarmed California Manufacturers & Technology Association
has just sent out a press release opposing Bill 270: 

“SB 270 gives California manufacturers another reason to move
jobs out of state,” said CMTA President Jack Stewart. “Instead of
killing jobs, lawmakers should be promoting ways to protect those
who manufacture important and highly popular consumer
products.”

Stewart said SB 270 moves California in the wrong direction for
the following reasons:

— SB 270 ignores the fact that paper bags are reusable,
compostable, and recyclable.  Paper bag manufacturers have
worked with CalRecycle to ensure their bags are made from recycled
material and comply with newly imposed regulations.

— SB 270 meddles in the free marketplace.  It mandates
that grocery stores charge consumers at least 10 cents per paper
bag, with no price cap, and all proceeds are to be kept by the
supermarkets.

— SB 270 imposes an estimated $700-million tax on thousands of
small businesses and millions of struggling and working class
Californians who are already dealing with rising food, gasoline and
energy prices. 

But as we all know, as goes California, so goes the nation. Soon
we will all be mandated to haul our groceries, booze, and
hamburgers around in organic-certified, fair-trade, shade-grown
burlap sacks.