The Defense Commissary Agency has no plans to phase out single-use bags, except where they are outlawed, according to an agency spokesman. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
The commissary at Yokosuka Naval Base is delaying its phase-out of plastic bags until further notice.
The store announced in May that it would stop offering the single-use bags at its checkout stations this month. A Sept. 25 post on the installation’s Facebook page announced the delay.
“The Yokosuka Commissary will continue to have plastic bags available for customers until directed otherwise,” the post stated. “The Yokosuka Commissary still intends to expand their multi-use bag offerings and encourages minimizing plastics use.”
A store representative did not respond Friday to phone calls and an email seeking further information.
The Defense Commissary Agency has no immediate plans to phase out single-use bags, except where they are outlawed, agency spokesman Keith Desbois told Stars and Stripes in an email Friday.
“There isn’t a current timeline to discontinue single-use bags agency wide,” he wrote.
However, starting in January, commissaries in Europe will move to reusable bags, Desbois added.
DeCA is “is adapting its approach to each location’s specific needs and legislative/regulatory environment,” he said. “DeCA is committed to complying with applicable local and territorial laws restricting the use of plastic single-use bags.”
Since July 2020, Japanese retailers must charge for plastic bags, and the government plans to ban single-use bags and other plastic utensils, straws and containers by 2030.
Although 80% of shoppers stopped using plastic bags after 2020, Japan still generates the second largest amount of plastic waste per person on the globe, The Japan News reported in July 2023.
DeCA moved to reusable plastic bags March 15 on Guam, where Andersen Air Force Base and Naval Base Guam were the first to discontinue single-use bags, Desbois said.
Guam’s ban took effect Jan. 1, 2021, and calls for fines starting with $500 and escalating to $10,000 fines for retailers who offer the bags.
Next, DeCA did away with single-use bags at bases in Hawaii on April 30 and in California on June 30.
All commissaries in Guam, Hawaii, California and Washington state now offer only reusable bags, Desbois said.
Plastic bags can take a toll on the environment, according to the United Nations Environment Program. They can take more than 1,000 years to decompose and pose a risk to animals that encounter them. Decomposing plastic also releases microplastics into the soil and water.
Reuseable bags are available at the Yokosuka commissary, Desbois said. And Yokosuka is testing a personalized basket that patrons may purchase, bypassing the need for a bag.
“Over the years DeCA has been a [Department of Defense] leader in energy, water and solid waste reduction, as well as implementing a robust recycling program to help protect the environment,” Desbois said.
