Test 1: Bring Your Own Bag

Shoppers in the city of Clearwater will soon pay more to carry their groceries home. Starting in March, stores will be banned from handing out single-use plastic bags, and paper bags will cost 25 cents each. Reusable bags must be sold for at least $2. Restaurants will still be allowed to use plastic bags for takeout orders until the end of next year. Environment committee chair Paula Webb says plastic bags are one of the most common items found in the city's rivers and parks. “They're used for an average of 12 minutes and then last for hundreds of years,” she said. She says the paper bag fee is meant to encourage shoppers to bring reusable bags, not to make money. Stores will keep the fees, but must report how many bags they sell. Some shoppers find the change inconvenient. “I reuse my plastic grocery bags as garbage bags,” said retiree Harold Kim. “Now I'll have to buy plastic garbage bags instead, which are thicker. How is that better for the environment?” Others worry about the cost for low-income families. A local food bank says it will need extra donations of reusable bags for its clients. Environmental scientist Dr. Lena Hoffmann says the debate is more complicated than it seems. “Paper bags require more energy and water to make than plastic ones,” she said. “A cotton bag needs to be used over a hundred times before it's better for the environment than a single plastic bag.” She argues that the most important thing is to reuse whatever bag you have as many times as possible. Grocery store manager Tony Russo says many of his customers already bring their own bags. “At our store, about 60 percent of shoppers bring reusable bags, compared to about 30 percent five years ago,” he said. He expects the fee will push that number even higher. However, he adds that staff will need training to handle complaints from customers who forget their bags.