On January 1, an ordinance passed by the city of San Jose a little over a year prior went into effect, making the city the largest in the state of California to ban plastic carryout bags.

This ordinance (No. 28877) effectively bans commercial retail businesses within San Jose from the free distribution of single-use plastic bags at check-out, as well as requiring businesses to charge customers for the use of paper bags that contain less than 40 percent recycled content.

Though the overarching goal of the ban on single-use bags is to lessen environmental impact by encouraging the use of reusable shopping bags, multiple factors were specifically considered during the City Council’s administrative hearing of the proposed ordinance’s Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

Major concerns included “plastic litter entering waterways and flowing to San Francisco Bay,” reduction of the “500 million single-use carryout plastic bags given away annually in San Jose,” and “clog[ged] catch basins in the public streets […] and endanger[ed] fish, turtles, and birds in local creeks and the Bay,” according to the transcribed impact report.

AP Environmental Science teacher Jeff Sutton notes the impact of the bags.

“A lot of these bags end up on the roadside, in the water, and they’re petroleum for the most part, so they don’t degrade and end up in landfills,” he said. “In hundreds of years they’ll still be there, which is less than ideal.”

Suzanne McClurkin-Nelson, Chairperson of the Silicon Valley Environmental Partnership, agrees on the negative influence of the plastic and supports the new plan.

“The plastic bags have an enormous impact on the environment,” McClurkin-Nelson said. “There’s a tremendous problem in the Pacific, and I think from an environmental point of view, it’s a huge positive step.”

Though the ban has affected nearly every commercial retail store in the city, some students have not been impacted by the new rule.

“I didn’t really realize that they banned plastic bags,” Rebecca Chen (10) said. “I just noticed that they stopped giving me the ‘paper or plastic’ option at checkout.”

Some, like Kaitlin Halloran (12), had stopped using plastic bags even before the new policy.

“I think [the ordinance] will have a beneficial impact, environmentally speaking, but I haven’t even really noticed it,” Kaitlin said. “It hasn’t really impacted me because I use my own bag.”

Others at the Upper School have high hopes for the efficacy of the new San Jose policy.

“I think the policy is great, because we’re filling our world with trash,” Dr. Pauline Paskali said. “The plastics do stay around for a very long time, and I think it’s wonderful that they’re being banned.”

Brian Oldziewski, Upper School Network Administrator, was surprised that the ban was passed with little resistance.

“It’s a little inconvenient, so I’m surprised they were able to do that without a lot of people getting upset,” Oldziewski said. “My first impression was like ‘Oh, I don’t want to shop [at impacted stores],’ but I got over it.”

District 1 Councilman Pete Constant, the only dissenter in an earlier vote on the ordinance, answered questions in a follow-up interview with the Winged Post. He remains opposed to the ban.

“It [is] the wrong time to make this sort of change, as it has placed unnecessary costs and inconveniences on our business community as well as our residents in difficult economic times,” Constant said.

Additionally, he notes the many needs the now-banned plastic bags had served.

“Many people reuse their grocery bags as trash bags, or save them to use then they take their dog on a walk. These bags will all have to be replaced […] and people will have to buy [them],” he said.

Regardless, at only a month in effect, he believes the full effects of the ordinance are yet to be revealed.

“The goal of the ban was to reduce litter […], but it’s tough to make an assessment on whether it has had an impact,” Constant said.

McClurkin-Nelson is more optimistic and less concerned with the economics behind the ban.

“I can’t speak to how it’s going to impact the plastic industry, but I think that whole industry needs to be looked at very carefully,” she said. “There’s going to be be some bumps and a transition period, but overall I think it’s going to be a positive.”