Mexico City outlaws plastic bags, but the suckers still hang around anyway

I didn’t keep up with much Mexico news while I was on vacation, but one headline caught my eye when I got back. The city has apparently outlawed non-biodegradable plastic bags.

This seems too progressive to be true. Mexico adores plastic bags. Somewhere, up in the heavens, there are wee half Mexican, half-plastic-bag children running around, because people here love plastic bags that much. You are offered one with everything, no matter how small the purchase is. (Okay, maybe that’s a lie: I’m not sure they’d offer you one for just, like, gum. But maybe they would at the Extra store near my gym, where the employees do outlandish things like refuse torn currency.)

It’s not just the grocery stores and convenience stores who go plastic-bag crazy. The indoor markets offer them, too, and so do the tianguis — plus they give out separate plastic bags for each batch of fruit and vegetables you buy. Street food stands use them too. Just a few days ago, I noticed a thin plastic, produce-style bag covering the plate that held my burrito. (I think this helps faciliate plate-washing.)

In fact, El Universal says most of Mexico’s plastic bags aren’t given out at the supermarket, but at these smaller types of stores.

Contrary to the CNN Newswire headline that swept various U.S. press outlets, Mexico City businesses don’t have to rush and change anything anytime soon. They’ve got a year to become compliant — which explains why I got several non-biodegradable bags at Superama yesterday. (They’re pictured above.)

Even so, when the year deadline is up, I’d be surprised if the smaller stores made major changes. Too many of them fly under the radar, and the law seems so murky at this point that if I were a business owner, I’d wonder if it was even serious.

Sanctions haven’t been decided on. (Officials are mulling them over the course of the next 90 business days.) And, from what I’ve read, the law doesn’t specify what exactly “biodegradable” means. Is that two years to blend back into the Earth? Five years? An El Universal TV report says that many Mexico City residents don’t even know about the law, nor do they realize bringing their own bag to the supermarket is even an option.

I applaud the Mexico City government’s effort, but this seems like too big of a task to take on. It requires not only educating people about recycling, but somehow keeping an eye on the thousands of businesses in this city, many of whom aren’t officially registered on city tax rolls. A better use of city money might be creating a citywide recycling program, which doesn’t exist here yet.

In the meantime, if anyone wants to reduce their own consumption — I’m guilty of forgetting my reusable bags at the grocery store all the time — reusable bags.com has some great stuff, if you have friends in the U.S. who can mail them to you. (Or hell, make your own produce bags from fabric at the Telas Parisina.) I just bought some reusable produce bags online and can’t wait to try them out.