Politics & Government

Starting Today in San Carlos: BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag)

Starting today, San Carlos retailers will no longer be permitted to give away single-use plastic bags.

It's July 1, and that means that San Carlos will join other Peninsula cities as a plastic-bag-free zone.

In March, the San Carlos City Council adopted an ordinance banning single-use bags and requires the use of reusable bags throughout the city.

Beginning today, retail businesses in San Carlos will no longer provide customers with single-use plastic bags upon checkout. Bags made of recycled paper or reusable bags will be available for a minimum price of 10 cents per bag.  Consumers may bring from home any type of bags they wish and are strongly encouraged to do so. 

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Key provisions of the County’s Reusable Bag Ordinance are:

• Prohibits use of Single-Use Carryout Plastic Bags by all Retail Businesses.

Find out what's happening in San Carloswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

• Allows protective plastic and paper bags without handles for meat, produce, prepared food and prescription medicine as well as garment bags.

• Excludes restaurants and non-profit charitable re-use organizations.

• Retailers can sell Recycled Paper Bags to customers if they are made of at least 40 percent post-consumer recycled content.

• Paper and reusable bags sold by retailers must carry a minimum price of 10 cents per bag which increases to 25 cents per bag on January 1, 2015.

• Customers purchasing food with WIC and CalFresh food stamps can receive paper bags with 40 percent or more post-consumer content at no cost.

• Retailers must keep a record of recycled paper bags that are sold to customers.

• Fines for noncompliance would be $100 for a first violation, $200 for a second violation and $500 for the third violation. Each day in non-compliance would be counted as a violation.

Each year, 20 billion single-use plastic bags are used in California, and most end up in landfills, as litter on land and in waterways, and harming wildlife. The City of San Carlos is hoping that together, residents and businesses can break the “Bag Habits” and BYOB (Bring your own Bag).

For more information, go to the city's website: http://cityofsancarlos.org/news/displaynews.asp?NewsID=1113&TargetID=1



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