Santa Barbara County is determined on getting rid of the plastic bag menace and making the county a much greener place. To make sure that plastic bags do not pollute the county, a ban has been proposed to them in the unincorporated areas of Santa Barbara County.

Ordinance to Replace Plastic Bags with Eco-Friendly Grocery Bags

In a recent meeting on the issue, the Board of Supervisors told the staff of the county to come up with a permanent ordinance that would help in reducing the usage of one-time use plastic bags. The board with a vote of 3-2 has directed the officials to be ready with the ordinance in spring. In case this ordinance gets approved, the plastic bag ban would extend to towns like Los Alamos and Orcutt.

The county staff specified that this meeting was a chance for the board supervisors to give their opinion on the bag ban ordinance. It also gave them the option of revising the ordinance in a way that would best fit the requirement and needs of the county.

Doreen Farr, Third District Supervisor suggested that the ordinance should be brought into effect in phases as this will give more time to the businesses as well as residents of north Goleta to learn about the ban and take steps accordingly.

In case the ban gets implemented, it will have an effect on two kinds of businesses. It will influence the retail stores which are bigger than 10,000 square feet selling canned goods or dry groceries. The other category includes pharmacies, drug stores, grocery stores, supermarkets, convenience food stores, food marts, and similar retail stores. So far the county staff has recognized around 75 retailers who would come under the ban.

The recommendation given by the county staff is to give a grace period of six months to large business retailers and a period of one year to the smaller ones to get used to the ban.

Making a Difference to the Environment with Eco-Friendly Grocery Bags

In most of the cities and towns with a ban on plastic bags, a certain fee is charged on the bags if the customer asks for bags from the store. Santa Barbara too is considering a fee of 10 cents per bag. This step is being taken to make people come out for shopping with their eco-friendly grocery bags. This habit will ensure that the county does not have to spend time and funds on eliminating the litter created by plastic bags.

Source:http://syvnews.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/supes-move-closer-to-banning-plastic-bags/article_8a98c226-3610-11e3-8442-0019bb2963f4.html