I'm poor and rely on the free plastic bags to both carry my food for the walk home, a large amount since I can only make it twice a month to the store, and then we use them again at home for trash lining/cat litter/etc.

The real problem is a lack of perspective from the upper-middle classes, believing everyone can shoulder the cost of this feel-good legislation that isn't going to have a significant impact on the environment considering how reliant we are on the stuff for nearly everything we own. Guess what. We're just going to have to buy the plastic bags now.

Give up your phone, TV, car, PlayStation, etc and then let's go after the 10 or so, super thin, poorly manufactured bags I use a month.

I'm pretty sure technology handles most of the manufacturing of this stuff anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if grocery and restaurant chains are investing much more in lobbying for banning the stuff, claiming some sort of environmental concern, but really so they can point to politicians for shifting the cost to the consumer.

People are still going to buy plastic utensils and bags. Especially, those of us who reuse these things. Now we get to buy it ourselves. Unfortunately it's going to be the poorer communities who are most affected because they rely on these things, especially plastic bags.