Chapala’s Ecology Department is hitting the ground to prepare local businesses for full implementation of a state ban on the use of plastic bags and other disposable goods, set to take effect at the start of 2020 with application of fines for non-compliance.
Ecology personnel have started door-to-door visits in Ajijic to warn merchants that before the end of July they should use up inventory of bags, drinking straws, foam food containers and similar throw-away products they provide to their customers. They are passing out written flyers along with giving verbal explanations at shops, restaurants and street vendor points.
The tactic will be repeated as the messengers head to San Antonio Tlayacapan, Chapala and other towns.
Many merchants are already changing practices on their own timeframes, with some now requiring customers to use their own totes to haul off purchases and others switching to biodegradable straws and containers for drinks and carry-out foods.
Curiously, Walmart has changed course since baggers quit giving out plastic shopping bags last month, giving clients the option of buying reusable bags, taking empty cardboard boxes or carrying away merchandise by hand from checkout stands. Cashiers say that customer complaints prompted management to resupply plastic bags.