As editor of San Francisco's board of supervisors may extend their proposed plastic bag ban law to include pharmacies and smaller retailers.
According to this report from the San Francisco Examiner, the board has delayed a vote on the previous proposal, which would require grocery stores that do more than $2 million in sales a year to only use bags made of recyclable paper, compostable plastic or reusable bags.
But the idea isn't dead. Instead, a vote was delayed for two weeks so it can be amended to apply to more stores. The new language applies to all establishments with 5,000 square feet of retail space and a pharmacy license.
“I think we should be consistent. I think that by going directly after grocery markets, we weren’t showing consistency,” said Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier.
I'm afraid that the "compostable plastic" provision in this law has the potential to create some real problems for the city. Although supervisors are aware of the drawbacks, some are set on moving ahead, regardless of the scientific arguments or results of grocers' plastic bag recycling efforts, which were instituted to avoid a bag ban or tax.
Plastic bags have become a scapegoat for litter, recycling and marine debris problems. It doesn't look like consumers in San Francisco will come to their defense.