Starting Today in Belmont: BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag)

It's April 22, Earth Day, and that means that Belmont and several other Peninsula cities are now officially plastic-bag-free zones.

In January, the Belmont City Council adopted a which means all retail stores in the city limits will be plastic-bag-free. Reusable and recycled content paper bags will still be available for purchase.

Here's a comment from a Patch user about an what happened when a customer in front of her forgot his reusable bags Monday at a grocery store in Belmont:

"Yesterday the guy in front of me forgot his bags. The checker very nicely asked if he’d like to purchase a paper bag. He was upset, threw his receipt down and left with his groceries stacked. I told Rasheda (the checker) it was obviously her fault-She said “yes I’ve been getting it all day”. I (forgetting my bag) piled a few things in my pockets and walked out feeling like a shoplifter. -I like the bag ban; I just need to remember to bring the bags!"

Each year, 20 billion single-use plastic bags are used in California, and most end up in landfills, as litter on land and in waterways, and harming wildlife. The City of Belmont is hoping that together, residents and businesses can break the “Bag Habits” and BYOB (Bring your own Bag).

For more information, visit the Public Works environmental page on the city's website http://www.belmont.gov/SubContent.asp?CatId=240002528

Patch has a handful of great reusable canvas bags available--meet the editor at Starbucks at Carlmont Shopping Center at 3:00 p.m. today for a free bag (supplies are limited and the cat is not included).