At yesterday's meeting the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a 10-cent fee for every bag (paper, compostable, or reusable) your local grocer's bagman decides to hand out. While we've gotten used to not having plastic at our neighborhood Safeway, the new legislation also bans plastic bags from every retail outlet in San Francisco — including the iconic pink plastic grocery bags of Chinatown.

Despite outcries from local shopkeepers in Chinatown, the Richmond and the Tenderloin, where the pink plastic "Thank You" bags can often be seen hanging from every available limb, the bag ban and 10¢ fee will also apply retail stores starting in October of this year. In October 2013 the ban expands again to include restaurants, so not even your takeout is safe. (Doggie bags for leftovers, however, are still exempt.)

For shopkeepers who don't comply the fine is $100 for the first bag, $200 if they go back to plastic twice and $500 for every plastic bag after that. No word yet on how they'll police this at the self-checkout aisles, where everyone we know already sneaks a free lemon or two in with the rest of their produce anyway. Anyhow, penny pinchers and coupon clippers would do well to start stocking up on free tote bags now, it seems the city's plot to make us all look like crazy bag ladies is here for good.

[BCN/Appeal]
[Chron]