City hall was filled with environmentalists and community members May 13, eager to speak about the imminent plastic ban vote.
After hearing more than 16 residents, the Culver City Council unanimously passed the new ordinance that will ban single-use plastic bags and require merchants to charge patrons a minimum of 10 cents for any single-use paper bags.
“This issue has been a long time coming,” said Councilwoman Meghan Sahli-Wells.
The ordinance, initially drafted in December 2012, emulates a similar regulation being considered in Los Angeles County.
Councilmembers and supporters hope the ban will encourage consumers to start using reusable bags and will help reduce plastic bag pollution.
Some residents disagree.
“Banning plastic bags is just offensive. It’s insulting that residents aren’t given the opportunity to do the right thing and are forced into compliance,” said resident Kristin Marcus.
“The solution is education and teaching our society that not everything is disposable. There are many second uses for plastic bags; ask any dog owner or mother who has a baby in diapers. Recycling hasn’t been given a chance. The lack of education about proper recycling is shameful.”
Other residents in attendance opposed to the ban are concerned that the ordinance is a Band-Aid for a larger problem.
“Over a generation ago the environmentalists tried to save a tree by urging everyone to go to plastic. Now plastic is the evil of the day,” said local resident Steven Rose.
“The City Council choose to ban a small portion of plastic usage in a small segment of the community, when a citywide recycling program of plastic would have made more sense for everyone.”
“Businesses such as Target, Wal-Mart and super markets already bundle and sell used plastic on the open market for a profit. “Reduce and Recycle” earns money for needed programs throughout our society,” said Rose.
Councilman Andrew Weissman concurred that the ban is not the final solution to the larger problem but said that it is a good place to begin fixing it.
“It may only be low-hanging fruit, but it is a starting place,” Weissman said.
“It’s pragmatic, it’s responsible, it’s reasonable and it’s as good a place as any to start.”
According to city staff, when the ordinance takes effect, approximately 72 retailers in Culver City will be affected by the ban.
Those merchants would be required to display clear signs indicating the charge for paper bags and keep records of how many bags sold.
Large retailers will have six months to reach compliance with the new regulations while smaller stores will be given a year to comply.
While the ban stops the use of carryout plastic bags at food retailers, the ordinance exempts bags used for fresh produce or bread. Restaurants that provide plastic takeout bags are not affected by the ban.
Sarah Sheehy, representative of the California Grocers Association, was also in full support of the ban.
“We are pretty comfortable with this type of ordinance. We have found that the ban charge model is the most effective in promoting reusable bag use,” said Sheehy.
“We have found that about 94 percent of customers bring in reusable bags within about a month of the ordinance taking effect.”
The plastic bag ordinance will return to the council for a final vote to put it into effect.
