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SLO County IWMA seeking to ban plastic bags for produce

February 13, 2020

By CCT STAFF

Stores in San Luis Obispo County will be barred from providing single use plastic produce bags if proponents in favor of updating the Integrated Waste Management Authority’s plastic bag ban are successful. And with a  9-4 vote on Tuesday to amend the ordinance, it is likely the IWMA Board will move forward with the ban.

Three SLO County supervisors, Debbie Arnold, John Peschong, and Lynn Compton, opposed the ban, along with Paso Robles Councilman John Hamon. And while the three supervisors hold a majority on the SLO County Board of Supervisors, they do not hold a political majority on the IWMA board.

The board is composed of five county supervisors, seven city council representatives, and one special district representative.

If passed, the ban would prohibit the distribution of plastic produce storage bags countywide. Instead, grocery stores can provide paper bags for produce, at a cost of at least 10 cents each.

At Tuesday’s meeting, several speakers urged the board to ban single use plastic bags noting negative impacts on the environment. Opponents of the ban were concerned with the costs to businesses and consumers.

In April, IWMA staff plans to bring back an amended ordinance for board approval.


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In response to all the comments below, when will enough be enough?


9

This group needs to get out and pick up garbage around the landfill and highways, it looks like they need something to do besides make life hard on everyone else.


10

Something else came to mind with this. Fruit and veggies are now put into transparent bags, as well as leaky meat packages. The checker can move things around so they can see whats on the label or bar code. In a non transparent bag this means the checkers hands that are dirty from money handling, bloody meat packages and hundreds of peoples germs each day will be reaching into your fruit or veggie bag and handling the goods to see or scan the label or bar code. Another brilliant idea from SLO,s government. Proving again you and your well being are not priority #1. It all about the money and looking good. Like they say, you can put lipstick on a pig, but its still a pig.


20

Simple next step, outlaw sale of meat as such cannot now comply with H&S code requirements.


0

I have reusable produce bags with the tare weight on a tag for easy access but I hadn’t thought of the handling of food by the cashier.


On the other hand, many people (shoppers as well as field workers) have handled the same food.


I think we need to do something about single use plastic bags (those are the ones that sealife mistake as food) but I don’t know what the answer is.


0

So you think that everything you buy is perfectly clean before a cashier handles it? Really?


-1

Is Dan Dow bought off or what? Why has he not filed felony charges on Bill Worrell and Charles Tenborg for pilfering the IWMA accounts?


20

Because those clowns slipped thru Dows fingers and skipped town before he did anything, now he’ll have to find them and bring them back.


1

If a person is on welfare / Food Stamps they receive unlimited free bags .Once again another paying for the other


7

I don’t know this to be true. Do you have a link to a reliable source?


1

Get a clue people. I’m sure that anyone with half a brain can figure out how to get their produce home without using disposable plastic that invariably winds up in the ocean. And think about maybe educating yourself on the subject. Start here:


https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2017/04/feature-uns-mission-to-keep-plastics-out-of-oceans-and-marine-life/


https://www.newsweek.com/heartbreaking-images-plastic-pollution-ocean-1459494


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhksqkC6WV0


https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/ocean_plastics/


-16

You all know these imbeciles will soon have regular home and yard garbage bags outlawed. Then all you “paradise” lovers will be buying “special” trash bags at a dollar each. Then resulting from Ca politicians being so brilliant, people will simply dump their garbage on the street or some dark alley. The cure…you got it… a Garbage Czar!! “It” cause we cant refer somebody as gender specific, will handle the problem @ $250K a year + bennie’s. Im like a freaking Soothsayer!!!.


37

Country roads will have a lot more “scenery” than washing machines and old mattresses if this comes to fruition.


Can you see the stateline inspection stations? “Any fruits, vegetables, ammo or plastic bags, Sir/Ma’am?”


1

So first it was banning the plastic bags to haul the groceries home in (@ $.10 each), now it’s banning the bags to put broccoli, onions, etc. into (another $.10 each) to put INTO the banned shopping bag. . .. . more paper used, more trees cut down … these folks are clueless. Tisket a tasket, better bring a basket.


33

Paper is a renewable resource. Oil is not


0

Oh yeah….just GREAT! Once again folks in CA…


BOHICA!


Bend Over Here It Comes Again!


The recycling program in this state is a sham and broken beyond repair yet we still pay ridiculous sums to bolster its cost. Plastic grocery bags were the big target, then stupid straws, now it’s vegetable bags. It ALL keeps getting dumped on taxpayers from all directions. These people want absolute control of every damn thing we own or do. This is so ridiculous. GOD! Only a couple-a-few more years and we’re GONE from ridiculous clown state!


37

Paper napkins are next. Cloth napkins will be required.


12

Imagine the uproar when tampons and sanitary napkins go on the chopping block. Hell, let’s get rid of TP while we’re at it.


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