Modesto-area readers weigh in on bag ban

Some folks swear by plastic grocery bags, which come in handy for lining trash cans and other uses.

Some folks are more likely to swear at them. They hate how the bags litter the landscape and can harm wildlife.

We asked readers of The Modesto Bee what they think about the new state law that phases out single-use bags. The issue returned to the forefront this week with the announcement by opponents that they had collected enough signatures to put the issue on the November 2016 ballot. The signatures have yet to be verified.

Gov. Jerry Brown in September signed Senate Bill 270, which bans the bags at larger stores starting in July and at smaller stores a year later. It does not apply to bags used in produce or meat departments. The law allows stores to charge 10 cents or more for paper or reusable plastic bags.

Here’s what readers had to say on The Bee’s Facebook page:

Cyndi Meigs: Ban the bags! Come on, people! Do your dang part here! Buy a reusable bag for a buck at the dollar store. Grab some from Wal-Mart. Keep them in the car. Try a little! We have at least 30 cloth reusable bags we have used for a few years now. It’s a good thing!

Linda Cargill Brown: Well, lots of folks reuse them for their inside trash can liners. Or for their doggy pickups. So the ban would only mean they now need to be purchased. If you’re really serious, I would think disposable diapers are a bigger problem.

Brenna McDonnell McNamara: The bags should be banned. They are a major cause of pollution, especially to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. There is no reason a person cannot bring their own bags to the store or at the very least use the paper bags. I don’t know why anyone would be so upset about this that they would waste valuable time collecting signatures to stop it.

Jeff Walker: (Plastic) saves me from buying garbage bags because I reuse all of them.

Angela James: I signed the petition. I reuse ALL of my plastic grocery bags for all kinds of stuff. It’s really simple. Recycle them or reuse them. This is what we should be lobbying for. Thank you to everyone who signed those petitions.

Gwen Reuben: Americans are basically lazy and irresponsible about ecology. We simply have to retrain our brains to bring our own bags. And absolutely, disposable diapers are a huge problem! Again, lazy!

Mike Ash: Get your hands off my plastic bags!

Raul Maldonado: The only bad change that will happen is “Oh darn, I forgot my recyclable bag. I guess I’ll just buy a paper bag for 10 cents.” So, opponents to the plastic bag ban, this will be the unfortunate consequence.

Travis Brickey: I will vote NO to keep the ban in place. I do not enjoy inhaling plastic bags incinerated in this valley.

LeeAnn Dias: I use cloth bags most of the time, but this ban is just another tax at 10 cents a bag. Just call it what it is, a tax!

Connie Bratten: I am in favor of the plastic bag ban, but I know I will have a difficult time trying to remember to take my own. I’ve been shopping around for washable fabric bags, but haven’t bought any yet.

Kimberly Quintal: I completely disagree with being charged for bags at the store! Fine, they want to do away with plastic bags. I never use them just once. Like most people do, I reuse them for small bathroom trash bags or to bring lunch to work, etc. Why buy small plastic bags marketed for trash when I can repurpose/reuse the ones from grocery shopping as trash bags? But why in the world would that then mean we should be charged for paper bags?! That is a service provided by the store for purchasing their goods … To ban grocery bags but not all plastic bags (Glad, Hefty type trash bags, for example) is not going to solve the plastic problem.

This story was originally published January 1, 2015 at 5:40 PM with the headline "Modesto-area readers weigh in on bag ban."