Torrence Daily Breeze: Plastic Bag Ban Affects Unincorporated Area Shoppers

Shoppers cope with plastic bag ban at grocery stores in unincorporated areas

By Kristin S. Agostoni and Donna Littlejohn Staff Writers

Torrence Daily Breeze

Posted: 07/01/2011 06:25:29 PM PDT

Robert Duncan forgot his reusable bags his car so he improvised with a store basket then returned it. Some customers at local grocery stores were caught off guard on the first day that a plastic bag ban became effective in major stores located in unincorporated county areas. (Photo by Brittany Murray/Staff Photographer)

Crystal Hyman's trip to the Marina del Rey Ralphs store on Friday ended with the Sherman Oaks woman adding two last-minute items to her order: reusable bags.

Although Hyman typically carries her own, she'd showed up empty handed on the first day that a ban on single-use plastic bags went into effect in unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County. But Hyman wasn't fazed as she carried her groceries in one of her new large totes, a surfboard splashed across its side.

"I love it," she said. "I think we should have done this a long time ago."

While she took the prohibition in stride, other shoppers who walked into the store Friday without their own bags weren't pleased about the prospect of having to buy reusable ones - even though the store had a special, two for $1.50 - or spend 10 cents per paper bag at the check-out counter.

So, some customers who didn't want to pay got creative, finding spare boxes near the cash registers and grabbing plastic shopping baskets to haul their groceries outside. Others opted to balance items in their arms as they headed to their cars.

"I'd love a free paper bag, but I'm not going to pay for it," said Pacific Palisades resident Paul Snitko as he and friend Mark Sentyrz left the store carrying bottles of rum and vodka, ice, limes, guacamole and other essentials for a sail to Catalina Island.

Snitko said he's leery of reusable bags because of concerns that they can become contaminated with E. Coli. Ask any boater, he said, and they'll say plastic bags are handy for storing trash.


"We usually do all of our shopping here before a boat trip but probably not any more," he added.

But all things considered, Ralphs front-end manager Sandra Silva - dressed in a green T-shirt like her co-workers - said most customers were "reacting pretty positively" about the shift that is designed to reduce plastic bag waste.

The same could be said at the TopValu market in San Pedro - located at

Ross Kleiman of Australia captains a boat out of Marina Del Rey and is happy to comply with the plastic bag ban. (Photo by Brittany Murray/Staff Photographer)

First and Bandini streets in the area's unincorporated county island - with at least one exception. Sylvia Hernandez of San Pedro said paying for paper bags can get expensive, especially in the sluggish economy.

"What do you do when you don't have enough money?" she asked. "Ten cents adds up."

But assistant store manager Ernesto Mendoza said he'd received no complaints. Fliers had been issued to Top Value shoppers for the past month alerting them of the new policy, and black-cloth bags with handles were on sale for 99 cents.

The shift comes as a result of an ordinance passed by the county Board of Supervisors in November - not long after the defeat of a bill in the state Legislature that would have banned single-use

Mark Sentyrz and Paul Snitko chose to carry out their purchase rather than pay for a paper bag. (Photo by Brittany Murray/Staff Photographer)

plastic bags in supermarkets and large retail stores in 2012 and in smaller stores in 2013.

The county's ban first affects larger supermarkets and pharmacies in areas such as Marina del Rey, Lennox, Del Aire, El Camino Village, the county strip west of Carson and the La Rambla area that's surrounded by San Pedro. By January 2012, the rule will extend to smaller retailers.

With an estimated 1,600 plastic carry-out bags consumed per household in Los Angeles County, according to 2007 figures, the goal is by 2013 to at least cut that number in half.

The ordinance becomes effective as local cities are making similar moves to cut down on plastic bag litter. A ban also went into effect Friday in the city of Calabasas, and Santa Monica will start enforcing a ban in September.

San Francisco enacted a prohibition on single-use plastic bags in 2007.

Manhattan Beach set out to ban their distribution a few years ago and was sued by the Save the Plastic Bag Coalition, a group representing plastic bag manufacturers and distributors. The organization argued the city violated the California Environmental Quality Act by not fully analyzing the ban's effects, and the issue was heard in May by the state Supreme Court.

The new county ordinance has drawn criticism from the American Chemistry Council, whose members include plastics companies and others. The group said in November that the prohibition "threatens to derail" recycling programs and "fleeces customers."

Ralphs spokeswoman Kendra Doyel said the grocery company took a position last year that a statewide prohibition on plastic bags would make more sense than a county ordinance if the goal is to make an impact on the environment. She said the broader ban also would have applied the same rules "across the board."

"Now what you have is piecemeal," said Doyel, Ralphs group vice president of marketing.

But she said the company has and will continue to make efforts to inform shoppers of the new rule.

"First and foremost, our customers are our concern, making sure they're adjusting to the change," Doyel said.
"We've got some areas where we're doing some bag giveaways. What we're trying to do is to put some signs outside ... It is what it is, so we're just going to take care of our customers."

Some on Friday were eager to spread the message.

Cynthia Frasher of New York left the Marina del Rey store with a cart filled with potted orchids and green reusable totes - her clear preference over plastic, she said.

"I think everyone should get rid of plastic bags forever," said Frasher, pointing to her large purse as one of the many alternatives. "It can even be Gucci."