Title
Approval of an Ordinance Banning Use of Certain Plastic Bags in the City of Olympia
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
The Thurston County Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC), on which Mayor Pro Tem Jones represents Olympia, recommends a regionally coordinated ban on single-use, carry out plastic bags.
Olympia's Utility Advisory Committee supports a regional ban (letter attached).
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to adopt on second reading an ordinance banning single-use, carry out plastic shopping bags and authorizing retailers to charge a small fee to offset the cost of retailer-provided recyclable paper bags.
Body
Issue:
Whether to pass an ordinance banning single-use plastic bags as part of a regionally coordinated effort.
Staff Contact:
Ron Jones, Senior Program Specialist, Public Works Waste ReSources, 360.753.8509
Presenter(s):
None. Consent Item.
Background and Analysis [information carried forward from 1st reading staff report]:
Plastic bags are the most common consumer product in the US, with the average resident using 350-500 bags per year. Each bag on average is used for only 12 minutes. Single-use plastic bags contaminate curbside recycling streams and cause litter problems. Only an estimated 5 to 8 percent get recycled annually. Thurston County consumes approximately 90 million bags each year.
On January 15, 2013, the Olympia City Council received a briefing from staff about a proposed countywide ban on plastic bags. With unanimous support from the City's Utility Advisory Committee (Attachment 1), Council gave their recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) to convene a stakeholders group to develop a model ordinance for a countywide ban on single-use plastic bags. At the time, the County Solid Waste Advisory Committee and six of the eight incorporated cities supported this approach.
In June 2013, Thurston County convened a 15-member stakeholders group to develop a model ...
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