A Plastic Bag/Polystyrene Ban in Los Altos?

"B.Y.O.B." may become a common refrain in Los Altos stores and markets this year.

As in "Bring Your Own Bag," a twist to the "bring-your-own-bottle," saying. The city becomes the latest of several on the Peninsula and in the South Bay to consider a ban on single-use plastic bags and "foam" food containers.

Los Altos city staff has recommended the City Council direct it draw up both a re-usable bag ordinance and an ordinance banning polystyrene food containers. The goal is to reduce litter in stormwater, and reduce the city's trash by 40 percent by July 2014, per the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board.

It's the way of the Bay Area and the Monterey Bay Area, as city after city seeks control the waste at the point of distribution. Indeed, throughout California, ordinances have spread. San Francisco started it in 2007, Seattle in 2011; San Jose and unincorporated county areas went to reusable bags in January 2012. Sunnyvale, Monterey and Los Angeles went bagless beginning last June. 

Much of the preparation work for Los Altos has been done, according to a staff memo by Senior Engineer Larry Lind. The city participated in a joint environmental impact report (EIR) that was led by the San Mateo County earlier last year. As a participating entity, Los Altos, like several other participating cities, were listed as "responsible agencies" that have discretionary approval over a project, and importantly, do not need to prepare a separate EIR. The EIR was certified by the county November 6, 2012. 

South San Francisco, Belmont,  Daly City, Colma, Pacifica, Portola Valley, Foster City and Mountain View were among the responsible agencies that have since adopted a reusable bag ordinance. 

The cities of Menlo Park, Woodside, San Carlos, Half Moon Bay and Cupertino will consider adopting their ordinances during the month of January. All of these cities, including the County of San Mateo have designated the effective date of their ordinances to be April 22, 2013.

Lind wrote that San Mateo County devised a model ordinance, one that would: (1) prohibit the free distribution of single-use carryout paper and plastic bags; and (2) require retail establishments to charge customers for recycled paper bags and reusable bags at the point of sale. A single-use plastic carryout bag is defined as a bag made from petroleum or bio-based plastic that is less than 2.25 mils (0.00225 inches) thick. The model ordinance does not prohibit the distribution of so-called product bags, which are bags without handles provided to the customer to transport food from a department within a grocery store to the point of sale, to hold prescription medication dispensed from a pharmacy, or to segregate food or merchandise that could damage or contaminate other food or merchandise.  

A polystyrene ban would apply to food vendors, defined as retail food vendors, cafeterias, sidewalk and outdoor food vendors, food vehicles and caterers.  This ordinance would also apply to city facilities, city-managed concessions, city-sponsored events and city-permitted events.  

Los Altos, should the council direct ordinances be drawn up, could get a reusable bag draft ordinance by March and a contemplated effective date of June 30, 2013.

A polystyrene ordinance could be drafted by "early summer," to allow for time for an initial study and other steps that are part of the compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act, known as CEQA.