San Diego approves plastic bag ban

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A ban on plastic shopping bags was tentatively approved by the San Diego City Council Tuesday, making it the 150th jurisdiction in the state of California to pass such a law.

The Single Use Carryout Bag Reduction Ordinance was passed 6-3, with Councilmen Scott Sherman, Mark Kersey and Chris Cate casting the dissenting votes.

“San Diego can now take a leadership role in limiting plastic bag use and reducing plastic pollution,’’ Council President Sherri Lightner said. “As we can see from other cities, the benefits are real, and it can be done without burdening our businesses or our most vulnerable residents.”

More than 20 community members urged the council to approve the ban. There were only two speakers against the ordinance.

The ordinance is intended to help reduce the estimated 700 million single-use plastic bags that are distributed in San Diego each year. Around 3 percent of the plastic bags used each year in California are being recycled.

“I think us doing this now doesn’t really solve anything and it doesn’t really accomplish anything,” Kersey said, referring to a statewide plastic bag ban proposition that is expected to pass in November. His district includes Rancho Bernardo.

The city’s plastic bag reduction ordinance includes a ban on all single-use carryout plastic bags at select point-of-sale retail locations; a 10-cent charge for paper bags; exemptions for restaurants, newspaper delivery and bags for transporting produce, meat, poultry, dry-cleaning or laundry; and exemptions for those participating in the California Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children.

Nonprofit vendors are exempt for the first year. There’s a six-month grace period before enactment for pharmacy and grocery retail locations, and a one-year grace period for all others.

If approved on second reading in two weeks, the ordinance would go into effect 30 to 40 days later.