San Francisco, WA

In March of 2007, San Francisco passed an ordinance that banned traditional disposable plastic bags at supermarkets (only those that have $2 million or more in annual revenue) and drug store chains with 5 or more locations under the same ownership in San Francisco. Starting in November of 2007, grocery stores with sales above the ordinances threshold were only allowed to provide compostable plastic bags, recyclable paper bags and reusable bags. The San Francisco ban was the first of its kind in the U.S. and the intention was a noble one. According to Ross Mirkarimi, a San Francisco politician who authored the ordinance, "The ban is also not just about not using plastic bags, but it's about not using paper as well, so that the goal and the thrust would be: hey, use neither paper nor plastic, bring your own." Unfortunately, because of the way the ordinance was drafted the result of the ordinance has been a reduction of plastic bag consumption at the cost of increased paper bag consumption. If you missed it, click here to read about why paper bags are not a "green" or sustainable option.