The Austin city council’s ban on plastic bags isn’t really a ban on plastic bags.
It’s a scheme which, while it apparently encourages some people to bring cloth bags (Ann Coulter calls them portable bacteria colonies) to the grocery, actually allows groceries to sell plastic bags rather them give them away.
In fact it encourages the use of plastic bags since our local H.E.B. charges more for paper ones: $1 for paper vs 25 cents for plastic. Our local CVS pharmacy not only does not sell plastic bags, they give paper bags away for free.
Now you may say the ban on plastic bags is actually a ban on the old, free plastic baggies one occasionally sees blowing end over end down a two-lane Hill Country highway. (Only occasionally, mind you. Central Texas roadways are remarkably clean.)
And we’re not likely to ever see one of H.E.B.’s red-with-white-handles plastic bags so enlivened by the breezes of passing cars. Ha, say I. Give it time. Give it time. Because it’s obvious that was/is not the issue here. Charging for plastic bags is the issue and that’s working out just fine.
UPDATE: Hey! The Translucent plastic bags are back! At H.E.B.! Yes! And they are free!
But you need the password. The password is “meat.” When you buy some meat (or fish) they give you a free plastic bag, just like the ones that were banned. Somebody is listening to Ann Coulter. Besides me,that is.
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 
“actually allows groceries to sell plastic bags rather them give them away.” I hadn’t thought of that, but I’ve noticed it. We should have another foot/bicycle race, nutria festival, or occupy Whole Foods to celebrate!
I don’t want to celebrate. I want the free ones back.
This is a coming thing. Here they too produced some new law about the bags, I am not sure about the details, being too lazy to look it up as usual. Fortunately, here in the Middle East, the implementation takes some time.
The idiot city council in nearby Corvallis passed a similar ban, charging 5 cents for a paper bag & banning plastic bags outright.
They say that they are charging to cover the cost of the bag, but my reply is that we are already paying for the cost of the bag. Unless the store manager pays for the bags out of the goodness of his heart, he has already passed the cost of the bags, like any other incurred cost for the business (overhead), along to customer. The stores like it because they are making more money.
The council ignored the fact that San Francisco passed a similar ban a few years ago, yet has seen an increase of food-borne illness.
As usual, the ‘good intentions’ of bureaucrats just screw things up.
Darkwater,
Since when has common sense, intelligence, or rational thought been displayed by these pols lately? Those actions are considered diseases in need of instant quarantine and medical attention (new age of course)!
Good intentions? Maybe. More likely just trying to find another excuse to justify re-election so they can go on thieving.
“Good intentions? Maybe. More likely just trying to find another excuse to justify re-election so they can go on thieving.” That is most unkind Stanley, it can’t be thievery when you’re enlightened and benefiting mankind whether they need it or not.