Council Votes to Ban Single Use Plastic Bags in South Lake Tahoe

With a vote of 3 to 2 in favor, the City Council today voted to ban single use carry out plastic bags in the South Lake Tahoe city limits. This issue was passionately debated by council members and the 8 citizens that offered their comment during today's City Council meeting. The city council is expected to finalize the ordinance later this month. The ban will take effect in grocery stores and farmers markets three months after adoption and will apply to all retail establishments after one year. Pharmacies,restaurants, and non-profits are exempted.

Councilwoman Brooke Laine summed up her opinion by stating "this is the logical step for us to take." She was one of the 3 in favor of passing the ban. Joining her were council members Hal Cole and Angela Swanson. JoAnn Connor and Tom Davis each cast "no" votes.

In a letter to South Tahoe Now, Nathan Weaver, a preservation advocate with Environment California, stated “This important step forward for South Lake Tahoe shows yet again that we can achieve lasting victories for our environment. Banning plastic bags is the right choice to

Shannon Eckmeyer with the League to Save Lake Tahoe said the agency is for the council's decision since the 19 billion bags used annually in California are used for an average of 12 minutes each. This waste adds to landfills when a reusable cloth bag can be used to leave the plastic out of the trash.

Stores may offer a paper bag choice for shoppers. Mayor Pro Tem Hal Cole asked that the 5 cent per paper bag charge that was written into the wording of the ban be removed. He said he believes in free enterprise and if stores want to offer free paper bags, or charge for them, that is their prerogative. Also removed from the initial verbiage of the ban was the fact that stores will have to report how many paper bags they sell over a 12 month period. Many thought this would add too much work for both city and store staff.