Two Steps Forward, One Step Back in Fight Against Plastics

Customer Pablo Zamora, left, and Winn Dixie Store Manager Jose Llanes, right, pose to demonstrate paper bag policy at Key Biscayne store, the first of 53 regional locations to adopt a paper preference policy, May 5, 2019 (Key News/Annali Hayward)

Eco-warriors on Key Biscayne had cause to both celebrate and commiserate this week with conflicting environmental developments on plastic bags and plastic straws.

Supermarket Winn-Dixie led the way by replacing plastic bags with paper at all checkouts in its Key Biscayne store. But a Florida Senate Bill headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk threatens to overrule a recent Village ordinance banning the sale and distribution of plastic straws.

Green grocers

Winn-Dixie Regional Director Jorge Cabo told the Village Council last week, “We made this decision for two reasons: based on customer feedback, and to help keep Key Biscayne beautiful.”

It’s the first of the region’s 53 locations to adopt the change, he said.

Customers can return plastic bags to the store over the next few days. Store Manager Jose Llanes is working to train staff and help customers adapt to the change.

As they adjust to the demand for paper, any gaps in supply are supplemented by bags made from 35 percent recycled plastic.  “A small percentage of customers are still asking for regular plastic, but it is only on demand,” Cabo said.

Some green activists point out that although better than single-use plastic, paper is not without its own environmental footprint. That’s why the store’s long-term goal is to slowly transition to reusable bags — like those found across European supermarkets — which are already available in the Key Biscayne store for purchase. Part of the discussion may involve incentivizing customers through their rewards points. Cabo said that too would depend on consumer demand.

Not everyone is happy. Resident and daily customer Grazie Christie said she was “very disappointed in the decision,” citing inconvenience and poor quality of the paper and part-recycled plastic bags.

Council Member Katie Petros asked Cabo about the possibility of charging a dime for a plastic bag as required by state law in California.  Cabo said he couldn’t speak to the question.

The last straw?

In what many see as a blow to the state’s green efforts, the Florida Senate passed House Bill 771 last week. The bill prevents municipalities from adopting or enforcing any ordinance relating to plastic straws for a five-year period. This is in direct conflict with a 2018 Village ordinance that bans plastic straws in commercial establishments and calls for first-time fines of $250.

Gov. DeSantis is expected to sign the bill. It remains unclear what will happen then. Village Attorney Chad Friedman said lawyers “are still evaluating the impacts of the bill on the Village’s ordinance.”

Rep. Nick Duran, D-Miami, who represents Key Biscayne,  said as bad as the moratorium legislation is, it could have been worse, saying he worked with others to soften bill.  He said his Republican colleagues were “very focused on preemptive powers on a lot of issues this session, and this is way better than an outright ban.”

Nonetheless, some environmentalists said the Legislature’s action shows it is out of touch with Florida communities. Elizabeth Yerian, an ocean naturalist at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center, called on residents to message DeSantis and urge him to veto the bill.

“Let him know he must veto this ban and do what’s right for Florida and all of its precious wildlife,” Yerian said.