Ordinance Passed in City Council to Ban Single Plastic Bag Use

Today the South Lake Tahoe City Council voted to approve the ban on single use plastic grocery bags in the city limits, duplicating their 3-2 vote from the first reading of the ordinance on October 1, 2013.

Council members Hal Cole, Angela Swanson and Brooke Laine all voted in favor of the ban. Tom Davis and JoAnn Conner against.

Mayor Davis said he "doesn't see a major plastic bag problem in this town" while Councilwoman Swanson wanted to the community to continue being the "leaders in environmental issues and show the stewardship we are known for." There was much discussion on how this vote would affect the business community so there will be future workshops and discussions once the ban takes place. As City Manager Nancy said, there may be "unintended consequences with the passage of a new ordinance" so the avenues of communication will be used.

During the meeting Mayor Davis referred to a request from California State Senator Alex Padilla to support a bill in the Senate that will ban single use plastic bags in the state. The City Council will discuss that once the bill is active again since its currently inactive.

The South Lake Tahoe ban will take affect on January 15, 2014 for grocery stores and October 15, 2014 for all other retail businesses. Pharmacies and non-profits are exempt from this ordinance.