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Politics & Government

Supes Favor Ban on Plastic Bags

Next step Is to Involve cities in crafting uniform legislation.

The San Mateo County Supervisors will move forward to halt the use of the increasingly despised single-use plastic bag.

Supervisors and staff capped off a study session Tuesday afternoon with a plan to examine the feasibility of an outright ban and study its environmental impact.

A ban enacted by the supervisors would only take effect in unincorporated areas of the county. The supervisors said they will invite city officials throughout San Mateo to help craft uniform legislation across all jurisdictions.

"I think everyone in the county will be interested," Supervisor Dave Pine said.

Environmentalists say the ubiquitous bags blight cities and choke  hundreds of thousands of birds, marine mammals and sea turtles each year. A ban is likely to spur consumers to begin using fabric or recycled bags, according to a county report.

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But the decision drew bricbats from manufacturers, retailers, and restaurateurs.

The most vocal opposition came from a lawyer for a group calling itself the Save The Plastic Bag Coalition.

Stephen Johnson said restaurants would suffer the consequences as take-out orders leak from containers and saturate paper bags, annoying customers.

"It's very problematic for restaurants to use paper bags due to spillage," he said. "So hopefully that would not be part of the ban."

But Pine said the solution could be found in sturdier take-out containers.

Plastic bags without handles that are used to protect food from cross-contamination would likely be exempt, said county environmental health Dean Peterson.

Alicia Rockwell, representing Lucky's Supermarkets, asked that should the ban go forward, it be implemented consistently across the region for customers' sake.


Menlo Park City Councilwoman Kirsten Keith and Half Moon Bay City Councilwoman Marina Fraser both said their cities would be interested in joining the greater discussion about consistent enforcement.

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One of the greatest potential roadblocks is that a countywide effort would likely require an Environmental Impact Report.

County staff and supervisors agreed cities and the county could share the financial burden of an EIR.

But support for the supervisors to take the lead on the ban was unanimous between environmentalists, elected officials and residents.

"What you do in the unincorporated areas will effect how the city moves forward," said Half Moon Bay's Fraser.

Allison Chan, representing Save the Bay, was one of the few environmental advocacy groups who gave support to the broad approach as well.

And resident Carolyn Chaney expressed her support for the ban too.

'I'm thrilled you are considering this," she said.

The board took no formal action at the study session.

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