Town of Truckee Stakeholders Committee Meeting One: Introduction and Background on Single-Use Bag Waste

Welcome Nichole Dorr- Recycling Coordinator Alexa Terrell- Solid Waste & Recycling Division Intern Introductions

Stakeholder Meeting Focus Tonight's meeting 6:00 -7:30pm: – Background information on single-use bags; presentations from the California Grocers Association & Californians Against Waste. Not able to make it was Stephen Joseph of Save the Plastic Bag Coalition. Q&A/Discussion after presentations. Meeting two- August 14, 6:00PM – Gather input from stakeholders Meeting three-September 11, 6:00PM – Present a summary of the input received and prepare to return to Council Return to Council in October. Reconvene if necessary pending Council direction.

Background 79 California communities have taken steps to reduce the consumption of single-use bags. Staff conducted a survey to gauge the appetite for a single-use bag reduction effort in Truckee. Survey results indicated general support. Staff went to Council for further direction; Council directed staff to solicit additional community feedback through the formation of a stakeholders committee.

Objective of Stakeholder Committee Determine if a single-use bag reduction strategy is the right-fit for Truckee by understanding the efforts of other jurisdictions. Discuss the details and specifics of what a Truckee single-use bag reduction effort would look like if pursued. Gather input through the workshops and return to Council with a recommendation.

Reasons for an Ordinance Single-use carry-out bags are wasteful and have been shown to contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, solid waste generation, and acid rain pollution at a rate higher than some reusable bag options. Reusable bags reduce negative environmental impacts and are readily available. Banning plastic and imposing a fee on paper bags has been shown to reduce consumption of single-use bags and the amount of plastic bags littered. Banning plastic and imposing a fee on paper bags has been shown to be more effective in reducing bag consumption then other incentive based strategies. Limited markets for film plastic recycling. Local Estimates of Single-Use bags – Truckee SaveMart estimated use of 12,000 plastic bags and 1,000 paper bags per week = 624,000 plastic bags/year; 52,000 paper bags/year at SaveMart – Truckee CVS estimated they go through 4,000 plastic bags per week = 208,000 plastic bags/year

Community Appetite = Surveys Town Staff Online Survey January-March – 1113 Community Member Results 69.9% in support of a ban on plastic, 63.5% in support of a $.20 fee on paper 6.9% not sure about a ban on plastic, 12.4% not sure on a $.20 fee on paper 23.8% against a ban on plastic, 26.8% against a $.20 fee on paper – 49 Business Community Results 51.2% in support of a ban on plastic, 48.8% in support of a $.20 fee on paper 48.8% against a ban on plastic, 48.8% against a $.20 fee on paper 2.3% think $.20 is too low to influence change Truckee Thursday Surveys June-July – 107 full-time residents 79% for a ban on plastic, 70% for a $.10 fee on paper 10% not sure about a ban on plastic, 8% not sure about fee on paper 11% against a ban on plastic, 22% against a fee on paper – 49 second homeowners 71% for ban on plastic, 67% for a $.10 fee on paper 20% not sure about ban on plastic, 16% not sure about fee on paper 8% against ban on plastic, 16% against fee on paper – 34 visitors 85% for a ban on plastic, 79% for a.$10 fee on paper 15% not sure about a ban on plastic, 15% not sure about fee on paper 0% against a ban on plastic, 6% against a fee on paper

Concerns Plastic bags are convenient and hold-up better than paper. Plastic bags generate only a small portion of the waste stream and are argued to be less impactful than single-use paper bags on the environment. Plastic bags are often reused; banning plastic bags could result in consumers needing to purchase additional bags. Recycling for single use bags is available in Truckee. Alternatives such as cotton or canvas bags may be less hygienic. Visitors and/second homeowners may be unaware of the ban; may be perceived as a negative.

Lawsuits Environmental Impact (no fee can cause switch to paper) False Environmental Claims to support ordinance Food Safety (If ordinance includes restaurants) Fees as tax (If fee collected for bags is not retained by store)

General Structure of Ordinances Ban on single-use plastic bags fee on paper & reusable bags provided at point of sale. Large grocers, pharmacies and convenience stores; some extend to large & small retail. Exceptions for restaurants, non-profit thrift stores and government assistance recipients. Bans do not effect produce/meat bags, pharmacy bags and other non point of sale bags. State Law 2449 prohibits a fee placed on plastic bags. Recognizing that paper bags have negative environmental impacts many jurisdictions ban plastic and put a fee on paper. The fee is intended to prevent a switch from plastic to paper and encourage the use of reusable bags. Fees range, some increase over time. All fees are generally retained by the stores to offset their costs and are non-taxable. Bans have various implementation and enforcement strategies; most require stores to track the fee obtained and the number of bags distributed to consumers and make those records available to the city/county. Bans often require that the fee for bags is itemized on customer receipts.

Model California Ordinances San Jose – Ban on plastic, $.10 fee on paper changing to $.25 cent fee on paper after 2 years, records kept for 3 years and given to city upon request, 1 year for small and large retailers Los Angeles County – Ban on Plastic, $.10 fee on paper, fee retained by store, quarterly report, warning $100 $200 $500 fines, 6 month large stores, 1 year small stores Capitola – Ban on plastic, $.25 fee on paper, fee retained by store, warning $100 $200 $500 fines larger fines for special events, 3 months effective date.

Effectiveness of Ordinances Santa Monica High School – 50,000 over 18 months – Pre-Ordinance Bag Use by Percentage 70% plastic bags, 10% Reusable, 5% paper, 15% no bag – Post-Ordinance Bag Use by Percentage 0% plastic, 41% Reusable, 23% paper, 36% no bag Overall reduction of single-use bags= 52% City of San Jose Reports – Post Ordinance Bag Litter Reduction 89% decrease in storm drains 60% decrease in creeks and rivers 59% decrease in city streets and neighborhoods