INITIAL STUDY AND NOTICE OF INTENT TO ADOPT A NEGATIVE DECLARATION FOR THE PROPOSED SINGLE USE BAG REDUCTION ORDINANCE
Single Use Bag Reduction Ordinance
The project consists of an ordinance to add Chapter 6.49 to the City of Santa Cruz Municipal Code to reduce single-use plastic and paper bags, commonly referred to as “carryout” bags. As stated in the draft ordinance, the intent is to eliminate the common use of plastic single-use carryout bags, to encourage the use of reusable bags by consumers and retailers, and to reduce the consumption of single-use bags in general. The project would ban the use of single use plastic carryout bags by any retail establishment (with specified exceptions), require that all paper carryout bags have a minimum of 40% post-consumer recycled content, require retail establishments to impose a 10-cent charge for each single-use paper carryout bag provided to customers at the point of sale, and encourage retail establishments to make reusable bags available for sale to customers at a reasonable price. The proposed regulations would not apply to plastic or paper bags used to protect produce, meat, or otherwise used to protect items as they are put into a carryout bag at checkout as specified in the proposed ordinance.
You may view the Initial Study and Notice of Intent to Adopt a Negative Declaration here:
Initial Study for the Single-Use Bag Reduction Ordinance
Notice of Intent to Adopt a Negative Declaration
You may also send comments directly to the Public Works Department:
Bob Nelson, Superintendent of Resource Recovery
City of Santa Cruz
Public Works Department
809 Center Street, Room 201
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
email