City of Dana Point
Home MenuSingle-Use Plastic Carry Out Bag Ban
UPDATEOn November 8, 2016, California voters approved Proposition 67, the statewide ban on single-use plastic bags at the point of check out. The statewide plastic bag ban, which took effect immediately after voter approval, also mandated a $0.10 minimum fee to be charged by affected businesses for every reusable plastic bag or recycled paper bag provided by the store to a customer at the point of sale. There are no reusable bag fees mandated within the City’s existing Ordinance; any charge imposed by the Dana Point retailer would be a business decision at the retailer’s discretion. The passage of Proposition 67 does not change the City of Dana Point’s existing Single-Use Plastic Bag Ban Ordinance as it was originally approved. No further action or change in procedure by your business is required as a result of the passage of this proposition. If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Anderson at (949) 248-3571 or at janderson@danapoint.org |
On February 21, 2012, the Dana Point City Council voted to ban the distribution of Single-Use Plastic Carry-Out Bags at the point of sale at local retail establishments (DMPC 12-04). The Single-Use Plastic Carry-Out Ban Ordinance is intended to significantly reduce the environmental impacts related to single-use plastic bags and to promote a major shift towards the utilization of reusable bags for the purpose of carrying away goods. The thin, light duty single-use plastic bags were intended for one-time use and designed to be disposable as opposed to reusable. Though these plastic bags are recyclable, very few (less than 5%) of the estimated 19 billion bags used in California are actually recycled due to the logistics of sorting, high contamination rates and the lack of suitable markets for the recycled resin of the low quality plastic used to make the bags.
A Single-Use Plastic Carry-Out Bag is defined as any bag that is less than 2.25 mil thick and is made predominately of plastic (including compostable and biodegradable) derived from petroleum and bags made from bio-based sources such as corn or other plant sources.
Dana Point Retail Establishments affected by the Ordinance include all grocery stores, convenience stores, mini-marts, liquor stores, drug stores, pharmacies, retail stores, vendors and non-profit vendors selling clothing and/or personal items.
The Ordinance does NOT prohibit the distribution of plastic product bags used for produce, unprepared meat and fish, bulk food, newspapers, dry-cleaning or animal pet waste. Restaurants and other providers of prepared take-out foods and liquids are also exempt from the Ordinance.
In our community, the impact to the marine environment is the primary concern that motivated the City's consideration of a policy to limit the distribution of single-use plastic bags. The City will continue to be guided by our goals and our commitment towards reducing and eliminating negative impacts in order to preserve our pristine coastline.
For more information on the Single-Use Plastic Carry-Out Bag Ban Ordinance, please click on the links below:
- Single-Use Plastic Carry-Out Bag Ban Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)
- Single-Used Plastic Carry-Out Bag Ban Second Reading City Council Agenda Report (PDF)
- City of Dana Point Single-Use Plastic Carry-Out Bag Ban Adopted Ordinance (PDF)
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