The Finance and Environmental Departments of Santa Barbara recommended the city council get behind the state bill that will work to eliminate plastic bags. (See staff report here)
Beginning in 2012, AB 1998 (Brownley) would prohibit supermarkets and convenience stores from providing “single-use” plastic bags at the point of purchase.
If you are a California resident, then this discussion is nothing new. But in case you’ve been hiding in a paper bag, this is the bill that will mandate stores to stock reusable bags for purchase, as well as provide paper bags for at least a nickel per bag.
One section in this report states that amendments could be added that increase the price of the recycled paper bags to ten cents per bag to serve as an incentive to buy the reusable bags. (Note the plastic will be gone, but the cost will still be passed on to the customer to purchase some kind of bag.)
Other recommendations in this report are to place a local tax on paper and plastic as well as a mandatory education ordinance “encouraging the public to change their behavior.”
Each week, Louis Dettorre will provide the PublicCEO Staff Report of the Week. Nominate yourself or a colleague by e-mailing ldettorre@publicCEO.com. To see a complete archive of staff reports, click here.