plastic bags

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - We have all seen the photos of trash left behind on beaches, trails, parking lots and surrounding dumpsters not only in Lake Tahoe but across the country. This is only the tip of the problem and managing our trash is key to prevent landfills being overflowed with our unnecessary waste.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Since the adoption of a ban in January 2014, South Lake Tahoe has not allowed single-use plastic bags in grocery stores and at food vendors. The ban was to apply to all other retail outlets after one year, but that ban was delayed by the City Council at that time and then later amended to remove that portion.

Just like Lake Tahoe, those visiting the Dominican Republic expect to see the beautiful blues shades of the water. Instead, beachgoers this week were greeted by tons of trash floating on top of the ocean, barely moving around with the motion of the waves due to the massive volume.

Parley for the Oceans released a video of what they are calling a "world's largest garbage emergency," showing tons of mostly plastic trash, something that happens every time it rains in the Caribbean country.

New York City; Washington, D.C.; Seattle, Washington; Los Angeles County; San Francisco; Miami Beach, Florida. South Lake Tahoe, California?

Hundreds of cities across the country have banned the use of polystyrene (better known as Styrofoam) in their communities. The SLT City Council will be taking a look into banning the substance in the City Limits at their October 17, 2017 meeting.

In 2013, South Lake Tahoe added a ban of single-use plastic bags in grocery stores to the City Code.

As plastic bags are taken off checkout counters across California, one Placer County suburb says its businesses are protected from the statewide plastic bag ban.

In August 2014, Lincoln passed a resolution intended to allow businesses to choose whether or not to follow a statewide bag ban. Now that voters have upheld the ban by voting in Proposition 67, Lincoln says its businesses are exempt.

Many are ready for this election to be over the national level with the negativity surrounding the campaigns. On a local level there are several choices before voters.

If you have not already submitted your ballots, find your polling place here:

California
Nevada

If you live in the South Lake Tahoe City limits, you are able to vote for two of ten candidates for City Council (in alphabetical order):

Brooke Laine
Dan McLaughlin
Jason Collin
JoAnn Conner

The agenda for the South Lake Tahoe City Council was a light one this week.

The plastic bag ban ordinance was amended to only affect grocery stores and not retail outlets. Former Mayor Hal Cole asked for the issue to be brought back before the council in October. "I thought we were only voting to bring the ordinance back for review, not to pass it," Cole said about his vote on October 15, 2013.

Plastic Bag Ban Timeline

September, 2012 - City's Sustainability Committee eyes plastic bag ban

The South Lake Tahoe City Council voted to rescind the ban on single use plastic bags in retail outlets during Monday's meeting. Mayor Wendy David and Mayor Pro Tem Austin Sass were the only ones who wanted to continue the ban but were outvoted in the 3-2 vote.

On June 14, 2014, the South Lake Tahoe City Council voted to delay the implementation of the second phase of the plastic bag ban in the city. Originally slated to begin on October 15, 2014, the Council, by a vote of 3-2, moved the start date out one year to October 15, 2015.

Now that the second phase of the ban has started, Mayor Hal Cole wants to revisit that portion of the ban.

Cole said he wants to undo the ban on plastic bags for retail stores and asked for the topic to be on an upcoming agenda.

Its becoming a concern at beaches and venues around the country: increased trash left behind. Lake Tahoe sees massive amounts of trash on beaches after big weekends, especially the 4th of July, but the basin is not alone.

Headline in North Carolina: Residents upset with beach equipment and other trash left behind on shores.

Headline in Los Angeles: Trash left behind from the Made in America festival in downtown Los Angeles.

Headline in Indianapolis: Trail of trash left behind at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Plastic bags, driver's licenses, selfies, assisted living and teens are just a few of the subjects the new laws in California will address in 2015.

Here are just a few of the 930 new laws:

"I call upon you to with every ounce of respect to please take your community's engagement to heart and hear their voices as their elected officials," said resident Jenna Palacio during the South Lake Tahoe City Council's meeting Tuesday. "This is your opportunity for leadership."

Palacio was one of many who spoke in front of the Council and asked them to stay on their original track and keep the single use plastic bag ban in place.

Thousands flocked to Lake Tahoe beaches for the 4th of July and left behind thousands of pounds of trash. Several groups have been participating in the Adopt a Beach cleanup program that is getting volunteers out to clean up the mess, both trash and fireworks debris.

The League to Save Lake Tahoe had over 120 volunteers participate in their annual Keep Tahoe Red, White & Blue Beach Cleanup. They cleaned at Commons Beach in Tahoe City, Nevada Beach and Zephyr Shoals on the East Shore, and Kiva, Regan and El Dorado beaches on the South Shore for a total of about 3 miles of shoreline.

Food vendors/grocery stores in South Lake Tahoe have complied with a single use bag ban ordinance since January 15, 2014.

Many panicked business owners and residents expressed their reluctance at the time, afraid of unknown costs that might be involved as well as not having the convenience of plastic bags at check out.

If one looks at the attendance at the City's workshops for both residents and business owners on the subject, they'd assume everything is working out due to lack of participation.

There was a ban imposed on single use plastic bags in the South Lake Tahoe city limits at the City Council's October 13th meeting. Since there are many questions on who is affected, how businesses will comply and other topics, the City of South Lake Tahoe will hold an informational meeting on November 13 in the council chambers. The 5:30 pm meeting is for business owners and will explain the ordinance, answer questions and get feedback.

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.

Plastic bags are a menace to wildlife and should be banned across California. Plastic bags entangle birds, fish, and many other animals, trapping or suffocating them. At best, plastic bags brittle ...

South Lake Tahoe will likely not be among the growing number of cities hoping to reduce the usage of disposable plastic bags.

South Lake Tahoe may become the latest California jurisdiction to try and rein in the use of the ubiquitous plastic bag. The city's sustainability commission is working on an ordinance that would prohibit retailers from providing single-use plastic bags to customers at checkout.

By Don Quilici
This is an annual, late fall article on how to enjoy those tiny, irresistible, tasty gourmet treats known as pine nuts.
For those unfamiliar with them, they are the seeds of the Pinon Pine Tree, which is the official tree of the State of Nevada. The Pinon is a fairly short, bushy looking, rather unattractive, full-of-pitch tree and it is one of the main physical features of our Great Basin area.