Plastic Bag Ban Goes Into Effect Today

A ban on plastic bags went into effect in Alameda County January 1, 2013.

As of today, grocery stores and certain food retailers in Alameda County cannot provide plastic bags, and must charge customers a minimum of 10 cents for paper or other reusable bags.

Customers may bring their own reusable or plastic bags to the store with them.

At the Lucky’s supermarket at Marina Village, the self-checkout stands were cleared of plastic bags, and the store was offering to sell paper bags for 10 cents each.

The ordinance, implemented by Alameda County, was prompted by a desire to minimize the number of plastic bags that end up in landfills (i.e. not recycled) or in the environment in general.

Plastic bags used to protect meat, fresh produce and prepared food from contamination are generally exempt.