Millbrae Bans Plastic Bags and Imposes Paper Fee
The city is imposing a 10-cent customer fee because it believes this will incentivize people to bring their own bag and reduce the overall usage of plastic.
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Starting in September at all retail stores in Millbrae, customers must either bring reusable bags or pay 10 cents for each paper bag requested.
City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to ban plastic bags at all retail locations, and stores must now keep track of their paper bag distribution. The law will impact about 50 retail stores throughout the city.
“On the first day of the ordinance, 75 percent of customers take no bag or bring a reusable bag,” said Tim James, spokesman for the California Grocers Association, referring to similar ordinances in other cities. “Over time, we see that number climb by another 10 percent.”
The city received no public comments during a mandatory 22-day public review period when it introduced the rule in October 2011. However, council members said they received many letters recently from both proponents and opponents.
“We would prefer a voluntary option, especially for smaller businesses,” said Millbrae Chamber of Commerce President John Ford. He said that the ordinance will burden some retail stores with additional costs to procure paper bags and with the nuisance of having to account for every paper bag sold, as the mandate requires.
The city is imposing the 10-cent customer fee because it believes this will incentivize people to bring their own bag and reduce the overall usage of plastic, according to a city staff report.
“It will also reduce litter and the associated cleanup costs,” said Shelly Rider, environmental programs manager for the city. She said last year the city collected 429 plastic bags and 282 paper bags in just three hours during the California Coastal Cleanup Day, a statewide annual volunteer effort that Millbrae participates in.
“I am tired of putting up a ladder and pulling down plastic bags from my trees,” said Ann Schneider, a resident of Palm Avenue and a Sierra Club member.
The city uses about seven million plastic bags and about 2.8 million paper bags annually, according to Public Works Director Ron Popp.
“I initiated this proposal years ago, and we put it aside hoping the state would come up with something,” said Vice Mayor Gina Papan. “But they did not, and Millbrae is taking a step forward with this to prevent the millions of bags from ending up in our environment.”
The city will inform residents and the business community through a direct mail campaign in several languages, as well as newsletters and phone calls. The city can make certain exemptions for some businesses, and “if a business has a problem, please come talk to us and we will work with you,” Papan said.
The fine for failing to comply with the law is at first a warning, and a maximum fine of $500 for three infractions in a year.
A limited number of reusable bags are available free to all residents at the Public Works Department counter, Monday through Friday during regular business hours.
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Doug Radtke
7:10 am on Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Good grief, let's tax everything that's possibly environmentally unfriendly and send our country back to the stone age.
This crusade against plastic bags are ridiculous. Plastic is a bi-product of the oil refining process. As long as people are driving cars, plastic will be available in ABUNDANCE.
These re-usable eco bags are nothing but a nuisance and a shill. They get wet. If you re-use them constantly and carry raw meat, then produce you risk contamination of your produce. If you don't re-use your eco bag at least 100x, you're actually doing more harm.
Jennifer
3:55 pm on Wednesday, January 25, 2012
You are right, plastic is in abundance, and mostly in the form of trash that is killing wild life. Plastic bags find their ways to the ocean and then disintegrate into smaller pieces that can be found in many wild fish we consume. Please read about the trash vortex http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/07/090731-ocean-trash-pacific.html
Regarding reusable bags, I use kerribags; they are sturdy, hold a lot and can easily be wipe cleaned. It is much easier to shop with them because they stay upright in the car and the cool version keeps food fresh. I know it is hard to change habits but once you do you will be glad you did.
The choice we all need to have is not getting free paper or plastic bags, it should be protecting our environment until we find another livable planet.
Doug Radtke
6:09 pm on Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The issue of plastic ending up in the ocean is a completely different problem altogether. Paper takes up much more landfill space, and is unquestionable much more COSTLY and environmentally damaging as an aggregate process than just using plastic.
FACT: It takes 4 times more resources to make a paper bag than a plastic bag
FACT: 85-90% of paper bags aren't recycled ANYWAY
Why not spurn a movement to RECYCLE the damn plastic bags like I've been doing at Lucky's for 10 years! Bans are NOT the answer, RECYCLING is.
All the environmentalists are successful at, is in making life as unpleasant as possible for people. All the damn food in San Francisco tastes like shit in those paper to go boxes. The bio-degradable cutlery makes everything tastes like shit it touches. My damn coffee is cold 15 minutes after I buy them because of paper cups.
I wish all you nuts would stay in San Francisco and continue to RUIN your city, NOT mine.
I will buy my groceries in San Bruno once the ban is in effect. Your loss, Millbrae.
Doug Radtke
7:11 am on Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Plastic bags represent less than 0.2% of all landfill usage in the world. They take a considerable less amount of space then virtually ANYTHING else we are tossing away currently. The costs of shipping LIGHTWEIGHT plastic bags to stores are a FRACTION of the cost of shipping a truckload of those stupid re-usable bags. Again, if you don't use the same bag 100x times you are likely using up MORE gasoline and making a larger "carbon footprint" than just using the damn plastic bags (there are environmental costs to the manufacturing of these bags much higher than plastic bags and the high weight which results in high fuel costs to ship these damn things).
Paper bags are actually WORSE for the environment! It requires THOUSANDS of gallons of water to bleach paper pulp that's recycled not to all the cutting, printing, packaging, and shipping, requires additional time, labor, and energy, on top of the already exorbant amounts of capital, electricity, chemicals, and fuels used.
Plastic can be recycled. I've been bringing my bags to San Bruno Lucky's/Albertson's/Now Lucky's again for the better part of a decade! This law is absolutely RIDICULOUS. If anyone put an iota of time looking up the cost/benefit analysis you'd understand why!
Nancy
7:25 am on Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Guess I will be shopping in other towns.....so tired of Millbrae.
Kate Holland
1:38 pm on Tuesday, February 21, 2012
You'll soon end up having to shop out of the county because all cities in San Mateo County will be on board by January 2013.
Doug Radtke
7:40 am on Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Is there a municipal referendum process? I grow tired of Millbrae as well. The loons from San Francisco must be invading our backyard. Keep your eco-nazi policies, taxing happy meals, and the like IN the city and away from the hard working honest folks of the Peninsula!
David Alexander
8:36 am on Wednesday, January 25, 2012
If I'm reading this correctly, there is a $500 per year penalty if the business does not follow the new law. If I were the business (and most bigger ones can easily afford), I would simply pay the new "fee" and give my customers what they have always enjoyed... a "choice" of whether or not they prefer paper or plastic!
Doug Radtke
8:43 am on Wednesday, January 25, 2012
I wonder if there's escalation of consequences. It's $500 per incident after the warning. Technically a cop enforcing the law could write you a $500 ticket every single time you give out a measly plastic bag.
David Carini
9:24 am on Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The way it works, is that the first infraction is a warning, then I believe it's $50, $100 and it goes up to $500 for three infractions within one year after the initial warning.
Sara
11:36 am on Tuesday, February 21, 2012
All our legislators do is think up new laws to control us and get publicity for themselves. Like over 2500 new laws proposed by state legislators for this year. And our local ones want to act like big cheeses and labor supporters while the PD goes to pot and we waste time on plastic bags. Some need to get their heads out of the plastic bag and breath fresh O2.
Doug Radtke
1:48 pm on Tuesday, February 21, 2012
"You'll soon end up having to shop out of the county because all cities in San Mateo County will be on board by January 2013."
Kate, I hope that's not implying that mass acceptance is any inference of something being a good idea.
After all, Proposition 8 passed by a majority populist vote. Do you think that was good legislation?
I just wish some real research was done like in my article (the UK study).
Kate Holland
9:41 pm on Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Sorry not implying a thing. Just sharing that there's a county wide effort currently in movement - read recently in the journal-no research on my part. Since I am comfortable with reusable bags I really don't have an opinion or any real feeling on this one, sorry. But not to say I don't like some of your other opinion pieces--enjoyed today's on the coach firing--well said!
Doug Radtke
9:43 pm on Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Appreciate it the compliment on the other pieces. The study done by the UK is on my own blog about plastic bag bans. It's pretty comprehensive, as the UK was considering a country-wide ban of plastic bags. The study's findings is what kind of sparked at least an opposition voice to a "plastic only" ban.
Personally, I've always recycled or used the plastic bags for the garbage can.
The only really negative externality for myself out of all this is.... I'll probably have to bag plastic garbage bags.
Thanks for the feedback =)