You can tell a lot about people from their grocery-store
conduct. There are those who make neatly itemized lists, those who rely on a
messy assemblage of mental notes and those, like my grandmother, who casually
stroll down every aisle, reading packaging details and brainstorming possible
meals. But for me, it’s all about precision.

I enter Vons briskly, march directly to the aisle of
whatever amenity I’m buying — shampoo, a pint of ice cream, printer paper —
then slide into the express checkout line. And as the checker hands me back the
newly plastic-shrouded item I say thank you, smile politely and pull said item
from the bag. After all, I can carry a bottle of shampoo in one hand just as
easily as I could a bag; there’s no need to create more waste.

Each year shoppers worldwide go through, literally,
trillions of plastic bags. And where do these bags end up? Some will be shoved
precariously into kitchen cabinets or used to line trash bins. But most of
those thin plastic soldiers will spend the decades after their trip home from
Vons in landfills, blown about in the wind or floating around the ocean to be
ingested unhealthily by sea creatures.

This reality is getting harder and harder to ignore and San
Diego’s northern neighbors are finally taking action to curb needless
pollution. San Francisco has outlawed plastic bags completely, and the Los
Angeles County Board of Supervisors is now considering a fee system. Some
stores, such as Swedish furniture-mecca IKEA, have already implemented a
plastic-bag fee. And while La Jolla stores hand out plastic bags like student
organizations do Welcome Week flyers, it’s nice to see that some people have
gotten the hint.

Unfortunately, something free usually equates to something
disposable. If shoppers don’t have to pay for bags, they won’t associate any
value with them and aren’t likely to consider where the bags end up. But when
confronted with even a minimal fee, shoppers are forced to assess their need
for the bags, usually deciding they’d rather deal with the slight inconvenience
and save both their pennies and the environment. Plus, being green is totally
in this season — reusable grocery totes are gaining popularity, and rightfully
so.

For this reason, we should consider applying minimal fees
not only to plastic bags but other items as well. What about paper fast-food
napkins? How many times have you grabbed a pile, dirtied one or two, then
thrown them all out at the end of your meal?

Imagine if restaurants gave out two napkins per order and
charged a nickel for each additional one. While this isn’t too much to bring
bankruptcy upon messy eaters, it is enough to get people thinking.

Accompanying these fees can be recycle systems, so that
people who need the plastic bags for the trip home can use them, then be
reimbursed upon the bag’s return. The point isn’t to hassle people just trying
to go to the market — it’s to discourage people from so easily creating excess
waste.

If people have to pay for plastic bags, not only will they
use them more sparingly, they’ll also be more likely to reuse or recycle them.
And for those wasteful shoppers who will continue to squander bags regardless
of price, at least now they will begin to be monetarily responsible for their
actions.