Are plastic bag bans gaining steam?

So far much of the action have been centered in small, environmentally sensitive areas (many near the beach). That includes places like Marin County and Santa Monica, where the City Council voted on Tuesday to ban single-use plastic bags in all retail establishments except restaurants. Calabasas will vote on Feb. 1. The movement is also building support in larger communities, with L.A. County and the city of San Jose voting to ban bags last year. Long Beach, San Jose and Fremont are considering such bans as well (here's a roundup from Plastics News). None of this is happening without a fight from the plastics industry - the Save the Plastic Bag Coalition has prevented Manhattan Beach from implementing its ban while the state Supreme Court considers a challenge to the law. Of course, industry lobbyists had a hand in narrowly thwarting a statewide effort last year. What's interesting is that the resistance among businesses in Santa Monica and other communities has been limited. Seems like the dominoes are starting to fall on this one. From the SM Daily Press:

Richard Johnson, store manager at Bob's Market on Ocean Park Boulevard, said he didn't foresee any negative impacts to business once the ban is in place. "Our customer base is all for protecting the environment," he said. "And as the city says, it is a big problem at the beach. Being a surfer, I've seen them and pick them up off the beach and also in the water as they are floating by." He said 15 to 25 percent of customers already bring their own reusable bags. Laura Martino, marketing supervisor at Whole Foods in Santa Monica, also spoke favorably of the plan, though she noted her company has already switched to more expensive recycled paper bags instead of plastic.