News Blog
Monterey, Pacific Grove Vote on Plastic Bag Bans This Week; Marina Set to Ban Polystyrene
October 31, 2011
The Monterey City Council will vote Tuesday on an ordinance that would ban the distribution of single-use plastic bags within city limits. The city of Pacific Grove will consider directing staff to draft a similar ordinance at its Wednesday meeting.
If Monterey and P.G. green-light the bans, they'll be the first cities on the Peninsula to lay down the literal law on plastic bags. Both cities' ordinances also prohibit the free distribution of recycled paper bags by grocery stores and other retail businesses.
Carmel has been pondering a plastic bag ban for months, but has yet to put forward an ordinance, even after a long-awaited California Supreme Court decision July 15 to allow the bans without requiring pricey environmental impact reviews.
Meanwhile, the city of Marina is expected to give final approval Tuesday to a ban on polystyrene foam in restaurant take-out containers. Marina will join Carmel, Del Rey Oaks, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Salinas, Seaside, and unincorporated areas of Monterey County in banning styrofoam. Marina restaurants will get a few months to phase out their styrofoam stock and replace it with biodegradable alternatives.
For more of the Weekly's reporting on all things styro, click here.
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