SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- Starting Tuesday, San Francisco shoppers will have one less choice in the checkout line. The city’s plastic bag ban goes into effect tomorrow, forbidding the use of traditional plastic bags by large grocery stores.
Paper and biodegradable sacks can still be handed out, but officials are encouraging shoppers to bring their own. "We really are trying to get the message home that what we really want you to do is bring your own bag,” said Alex Dimitriew of San Francisco's Department of the Environment.
Getting people to remember to bring their own bags may take a while, but many say it’s worth the effort.
"I have bags that I bought from Trader Joe's to cut down on using plastic and paper bags both," said Denise Gonzales. "My husband actually came home the other day with one of the black cloth bags that they're selling at Safeway. I was surprised. I'm a little more environmentally conscious than he is, in terms of recycling and so forth so I was pleased to see even he was catching on without me saying anything."
Officials say the estimated 180 million plastic bags handed out in the city each year cause litter, hurt wildlife and often end up in a massive patch of junk in the middle of the Pacific. San Francisco is the first city in the country to ban plastic bags. The ban also requires pharmacy chains to eliminate similar plastic bags within six months.
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SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- Starting Tuesday, San Francisco shoppers will have one less choice in the checkout line. The city’s plastic bag ban goes into effect tomorrow, forbidding the use of traditional plastic bags by large grocery stores. 
KCBS’ Holly Quan reports
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