Discussion on Custom Tote Bags and Plastic Bag Bans in Truckee

The town council in Truckee is presently considering whether or not they should ban the circulation of plastic bags within the town. In a recent town council meeting, the members discussed alternatives to banning plastic bags, and the members have decided to write down a detailed ordinance to address this issue.

The ordinance on plastic bags in Truckee

According to the members of the town council, the ordinance will ban the usage of plastic bags in regular stores, but it will permit businesses of specific type to continue using plastic bags. Some of the members have requested the council to add a charge on recycled bags in the ordinance. According to these members, a charge of 20 or 25 cents on the recycled bags will encourage the residents to opt for reusable bags or custom tote bags. But the members are not certain that they are going to include this clause in the ordinance.

According to the town’s Recycling Coordinator, Nicole Dorr, the council wants the residents to minimize their usage of single-use plastic bags. She feels that a charge on paper bags will help the residents to move directly from plastic to reusable bags. She also stated that if the recycled bags are not charged, the residents will prefer them over reusable bags.

The fee on recycled bags and the promotion of custom tote bags

The town council members have still not finalized the details of the fee on the paper bags as the residents of the town don’t seem to be happy with the idea of a plastic bag ban. According to a survey conducted in the town, 30 percent of the residents don’t approve of the plastic bag ban, and if the ban is implemented in the town, they would prefer traveling to Reno for their daily supplies.

Nonetheless, 51 percent of the business owners in the town, and 70 percent of the residents feel that this ban will help the town, so the council members are still discussing whether or not they should implement it. The Mayor of the town, Wallace Dee, wants the council to discuss the ordinance in detail, and he wants them to analyze which group is going to be affected by the ban. Once all this information is collected by the council members, the proposition of the ordinance will be voted on. So the ordinance will only be implemented by the end of 2013.

Source: http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/news/6247747-113/council-bags-ban-plastic