By Khalida Sarwari
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors took a step forward today to establishing an ordinance banning single-use paper and plastic bags in unincorporated areas of the county.
The Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 in favor of banning carryout bags distributed by businesses as recommended by Department of Agriculture and Environmental Management staff. Supervisor Don Gage was the sole dissenter.
The ban would affect about 52 retailers in the unincorporated areas of the county, but would exclude restaurants and nonprofit and social organizations.
The proposed ordinance might make exceptions for retailers that provide plastic or paper bags for items such as fresh produce, meat, frozen foods, prepared foods, bakery items, plants, prescription drugs, newspapers, as well as small utility bags at hardware stores and greeting card “header” bags.
Single-use paper bags that are 100 percent recyclable and contain a minimum of 40 percent post-consumer waste may also be permitted and sold at the retailer’s cost.
Supervisor Ken Yeager initially proposed addressing the issue of single-use bags in September 2008. In March 2009, the board directed the staff to conduct a yearlong campaign involving public education and surveying local retailers. The campaign showed there was a slight increase in the use of reusable bags and about a two percent decrease in the use of single-use bags.
“Over the past year, I have heard from many residents that support banning single-use bags,” Yeager said in a statement. “People are becoming increasingly aware of the very real harm these bags pose to our environment.”
Today staff presented their findings to the board and recommended creating a ban on single-use bags. Supervisors directed staff to draft a proposed ordinance by October for approval by the board. The next step in the process is a environmental impact report review, which the county is considering modeling after the city of San Jose’s as part of the city’s effort to ban plastic and paper single-use carryout bags.
The proposed ban is part of an effort to reduce single-use bags, which are found on the sides of roads, damaging drainage systems, polluting local creeks and streams and harming wildlife. Each year, nearly 600 single-use bags are used per person in California, according to the California Department of Recycling.