HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010/08/03 Item 2
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Councilmember Steve Castaneda
City Of Chuta Vista
276 Fourth Avenue
Chula Vista, Ca 91910
619.691.5044 - 619.476.5379 Fax
MEMO
CllY OF
CHUlA VISfA
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DATE: Friday, July 23, 2010
cc:
Mayor and City Council members
Councilmember Steve castanCdY
City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk
TO:
FROM:
RE:
City Council support AB 1998 (Brownley - Single-Use Carryout Bags)
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REQUESTED ACTION:
Respectfully request City Council support of AB 1998 (Brownley - Single-Use Carryout
Bags) and that our support be communicated to appropriate State officials.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Each year, Californians use approximately 19 billion single-use plastic carryout bags.
These disposable bags cost up to 17 cents per bag for disposal. According to Don't
Trash California, state and local governments spend approximately $375 million every
year to clean up and landfill discarded plastic bags.
We can no longer recycle our way out of this problem. In the United States, less than 5
percent of plastic bags are recycled. The rest end up in our landfills or as litter, clogging
storm drain systems and making their way to our waterways and ocean. Countless
marine animals, including whales, turtles, birds and other wildlife are killed or injured
through ingestion of and entanglement in marine debris, which include an increasing
number of plastic bags.
Additionally, with over 380 billion bags being discarded every year, Americans waste
millions of barrels of oil and other fossil fuels used in the production of single-use bags.
SUPPORT FOR AB 1998 (BROWNLEY)
AB 1998 represents the latest legislative effort to encourage consumers to shift to
reusable bags from single-use bags. AB 1998 enjoys the support of the California
Grocers Association and the California Retailers Association in addition to several local
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government entities and environmental organizations and has been praised by our
governor.
According to Assemblymember Brownley, AB 1998 will prohibit grocery stores and
convenience stores from providing single-use carryout bag to customers after 2012 and
2013 respectively. In lieu of single-use bags stores must make reusable bags and 40%
post consumer paper bags available for purchase by the customer.
CONCLUSION
AB 1998 may represent our best effort to reach a statewide approach to single-use
bags, especially considering Governor Schwarzenegger's recent press release
applauding this legislation. I respectfully request that we send our support for AB 1998
to the appropriate State officials. Thank you.
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RESOLUTION 2010-
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
CHULA VISTA AUTHORIZING THE CITY COUNCIL TO
SEND A LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR ASSEMBLY BILL 1998
(BROWNLEY)
WHEREAS, the California Legislature finds that prohibiting the distribution of single-
use plastic carryout bags is necessary to reduce the environmental, public health, economic and
societal costs resulting from single-use production, use and discard; and
WHEREAS, despite local and state efforts to minimize land-based sources of pollution,
and increasing efforts worldwide to protect water quality, the quantity of plastic pollution in the
world's aquatic environment is increasing; and
WHEREAS, plastics made from bio-based sources that are marketed as "compostable" or
"biodegradable" are not environmentally sound alternatives to plastic carryout bags because they
have not been shown to degrade in aquatic environments; and
WHEREAS, bio-based plastics require conditions only available in composting facilities
to rapidly break down into constituents that assimilate back into the environment; and
WHEREAS, recycled content paper carryout bags are a high value recyclable that is
collected in curbside and community recycling programs in California; and
WHEREAS, the environmental and economic costs posed by single-use bags are of
statewide interest and concern and the State should take action to reduce the use of plastic and
other single-use bags.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City ofChula
Vista does hereby authorize a letter of support for Assembly Bill 1998 (Brownley).
Presented by
Approved as to form by
Steve Castaneda
Council Member
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