San Francisco Bans Plastic Bags at Grocery Stores: Does anyone remember why we have plastic bags to begin with?

San Francisco has become the first American city to ban plastic bags from large supermarkets and chemists' shops - attracting the applause of environmentalists but also scepticism from business owners and many heartland Americans who feel that the quintessential "Left Coast" city has once again dived off the deep end.

Stores started using plastic bags because paper ones would end up getting all cut down. Of course, that was nonsensical because more demand for paper means higher prices and thus more trees planted.