CUPERTINO BUSINESSES AND SHOPPERS are adjusting to a future without plastic checkout bags but many said the alternatives don’t always work as well.
Samiullah Memon, owner of Oakmont Sandwiches and Coffee, said adapting to Cupertino’s evolving rules has been both costly and confusing, particularly as guidance around acceptable materials has changed over time.
“At first we tried switching to biodegradable plastic, but the city told us no plastic at all — even if it’s biodegradable,” Memon told San José Spotlight.
He said businesses were initially given about two years to adjust, but now there is a risk of getting a fine if any plastic is used. Memon said environmentally friendly alternatives often cost more and don’t always meet customer expectations, noting some customers bring their own bags and are not protecting meats from produce which could cause bacterial problems if the bags aren’t washed.
At Oakmont Produce Market, cashier Federico Diaz said customers often push back on the thin green plastic produce bags used to store vegetables and fruit. These compostable alternatives have replaced the traditional clear plastic bags for produce. The thin green produce bags are made from plant-based plastics designed to break down in industrial composting facilities.
“(Customers) say when they take vegetables home the bags don’t hold up the same in the fridge and can damage the leaves,” Diaz told San José Spotlight.
Those frustrations are showing up across local businesses as the city moves to eliminate plastic entirely, with the threat of penalizing businesses that don’t comply under new state laws.
Dealing with an ‘unintended consequence’
These concerns come as Cupertino updates its carryout bag policy to align with state Senate Bill 1053 that became law in January. It bans all plastic checkout bags. City officials say the change is meant to address a loophole in earlier regulations that allowed thicker plastic bags to be labeled as reusable.
“The unintended consequence was an overall increase in the amount of disposable plastic entering the waste stream,” Environmental Programs and Sustainability Manager Ursula Syrova said at April 21 City Council meeting.
Under the updated rules, retailers will only be allowed to offer recycled paper bags at checkout for a minimum of 10 cents, while pre-checkout bags such as those used for produce must be compostable or made from recycled paper.
Cupertino City Council voted 4-1 — with Councilmember R “Ray” Wang the sole no vote — to amend it’s carryout bag policy to conform with state law and broaden it to include retail stores and restaurants offering takeout.
“We have a lot of land in the United States, but we don’t have unlimited landfill, so if we can do something, it’s a little inconvenient, but once you get used to it, it’s not inconvenient. … I still see a lot of takeout containers that’s plastic in here.”
Vice Mayor Liang Chao
During the discussion, Councilmember R “Ray” Wang raised concerns about potential impacts on businesses, including higher costs and the possibility that customers would shop in neighboring cities if they wanted plastic products.
“We’ve created unnecessary burdens on a lot of our residents at the same time,” Wang said in the meeting. “So, I would just appeal to actually think about our retail businesses and our residents, and let them make their own choices, as opposed to implying and imploring a dictatorship approach to what we want (as) environmental policy.”
The other councilmembers disagreed and supported the stricter approach, emphasizing the need to reduce plastic waste and shift consumer habits over time.
“We have a lot of land in the United States, but we don’t have unlimited landfill, so if we can do something, it’s a little inconvenient, but once you get used to it, it’s not inconvenient,” Vice Mayor Liang Chao said at the meeting. “It’s a lifestyle. So I think we need to take that first step. I still see a lot of takeout containers that’s plastic in here.”
Where plastic beats paper
For some businesses, the switch isn’t about higher costs, but how their products are displayed to customers. At Horizon Bakery, owner Debbie Hou said plastic packaging plays a key role in how products are presented.
“We want to show how the products look — we can’t do that with paper,” Hou told San José Spotlight.
Meanwhile, shoppers have mixed opinions but they all agree that using some type of reusable bag is better for the environment and at this point they are use to bringing their own bags.
Alma M., who asked not to use her last name to protect her privacy, shops at Oakmont Produce Market. She prefers paper alternatives and cloth bags, though she added they don’t always work well for storing vegetables and keeping them fresh.
“Plastic is everywhere — it’s toxic,” she told San José Spotlight.
Contact Maryanne Casas-Perez at maryanne@sanjosespotlight.com or @CasasPerezRed on X.
This story originally appeared in San Jose Spotlight.