Buy a reusable bag, PLEASE!

I live right around the corner from a Ralph's. It's convenient because I can walk to the grocery store, which is not only good for the environment but good for my pocketbook because I buy only what I can carry. Since I live in a dense urban neighborhood in Long Beach, I often see other people walking along the street, grocery bags in hand. Ya walkers, is my first thought. But then I immediately assess what they're carrying. I'm disappointed to say that only about one in five have reusable bags. Why, people, why? I don't understand why everyone doesn't use reusable bags. They sell them everywhere now, including Ralph's (I have two sturdy bags myself) so they're not just for people shopping at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods anymore. I feel a little hopeful that at least I see some people with reusable bags (for example, the woman in front of me in line on Monday, who I remember because she had a big Ralph's bag that was like the ones they sell at Trader Joe's with bright, colorful prints so even Ralph's is branching out into different styles and materials).

I recently read about a Long Beach City Council meeting where they were going to discuss banning plastic bags. And not just because it's a problem in Long Beach. It was to send a message to the greater LA area because bags from other cities litter beaches in Long Beach, the end of the line of the LA river. I don't know whatever happened with that. But I support it. I think that people would be willing to bring their own bags, they just need an incentive to make the switch. And money is always a great incentive. If the city charged people, say 25 cents, per plastic bag, I think we'd suddenly see a lot more people spending a few bucks on reusable ones. It's especially frustrating when I see people walking home from Ralph's with a plastic bag in each hand. Those two bags have a life of just 10 minutes or so, and that's it. What a waste.