Six months after gaining approval from the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, the county-wide ban on plastic bags will begin March 20.
It will require that shoppers either take their own reusable bags to the store or pay a fee for paper bags — 10 cents per bag for the first year before the price permanently increases to 25 cents apiece.
Once the ordinance takes effect, businesses could be fined as much as $1,000 if they continue giving away plastic bags.
Customers who receive food stamps and other forms of assistance will be exempted from the paper bag fees. Other exceptions to the charges for paper bags include takeout bags at restaurants, wine bottle bags, candy-weighing bags, pharmacy bags and greeting card bags.
The only plastic bags still allowed will be those used to contain loose produce, wrap meats and weigh bulk goods at grocery stores.
The ban and fees will apply to residents in Felton, Ben Lomond, Boulder Creek, Aptos, Soquel and anywhere else that is not within an incorporated city’s limits in Santa Cruz County.
The city of Scotts Valley is not included in the county’s ban and has not passed a ban of its own on plastic bags.
The full text of the ordinance is available online at www.santacruzcountyrecycles.org.
At a glance
To make people aware of the upcoming ban on plastic bags in Santa Cruz County, the marine conservation nonprofit Save Our Shores is preparing a series of events throughout the county, both to distribute reusable bags and to explain the finer points of the rule.
- Tuesday, March 13: Members of Save Our Shores will be at Safeway in Felton Faire, 6255 Graham Hill Road, from 4 to 6 p.m. to talk with shoppers about the ban. Representatives will be present during the same hours at the Safeway stores in Capitola and Aptos.
- Tuesday, March 20: Free reusable bags will be given out by Save Our Shores volunteers from 4 to 6 p.m. at Felton Faire Shopping Center and in Aptos.
- Beginning March 20, the Safeway stores in Felton and Aptos will give away 100 reusable bags a day for two weeks
For information: Save Our Shores, www.saveourshores.org.
