Business & Tech
Plastic Bag Restrictions at Encinitas Farmers Market off to Strong Start
The Downtown Encinitas MainStreet Association's effort to go plastic-bag free at the Farmer's Market this year has been receptive so far far.
Jenny Rosenberg, shopping at the Encinitas Station Certified Farmer’s Market, was more than happy to take on the challenge of going without plastic grocery bags.
“I feel happy that I bring my own reusable bag,” she said. “I think I am making a small difference to the environment. I am very familiar with the problems plastic bags (have) on our environment.”
That’s been the attitude of most customers of the weekly event, where they and vendors say the market’s effort to go plastic-bag free is going well.
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The restriction was introduced by the Downtown Encinitas MainStreet Association for Day Without a Bag in December and continued as a new year’s resolution. The association tried out the bag-free practice after it saw customers use as many as 500 bags a week. Now, organizers are giving free reusable bags when they drop by the Wednesday market.
Many shoppers have been receptive to the change.
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DEMA’s Carris Rhodes said the market is about 90 percent free of plastic bags.
“It’s a collaborative effort,” Rhodes said. “It’s the vendors agreeing to it, and it’s the consumers complying and being amicable to it.”
Customer Jenny Rosenberg was more than happy to take on the challenge.
“I feel happy that I bring my own reusable bag,” she said. “I think I am making a small difference to the environment. I am very familiar with the problems plastic bags (have) on our environment.”
Market vendor Barry Koral said he understood why the ban was carried out last year.
“The ocean right now is carrying two times the size of Texas of plastic bags, which is killing our fish,” said Koral of Koral’s Tropical Fruit Farm in Vista.
“Encinitas is more of a cautious community and I think most people catch on quickly. Most of the customers (with) a few exceptions bring their own bag, so I haven’t really addressed it to anybody.”
The market is 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. every Wednesday at 600 S. Vulcan Ave.
What do you think about the plastic bag ban? Tell us in the comments.
