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Reusable Bags
 Make It A Habit and Grab It! Don't forget to take a reusable bag when you shop.
The City of San José in collaboration with various other Bay Area cities and counties, has partnered with the Bay Area Recycling Outreach Coalition (BayROC) to launch the regional Bring Your Own Bag Campaign. Make It A Habit and Grab It!
The City of San José continues to host stakeholder meetings with businesses and residents as it develops an ordinance. For more information, or to provide feedback on the proposed ordinance, e-mail Bring-ur-Bag@sanjoseca.gov.
Recycle Plastic Bags at Local Grocery and Pharmacy Stores
Of the plastic bags collected at curbside, only 4% are recycled, the rest are landfilled or become litter, which impairs our streets, creek and oceans. The City of San José no longer collects plastic bags at curbside for recycling for the following reasons:
- Single-use plastic carryout bags interfere with the recycling facility’s machinery and often jam the screens used to separate materials, which is expensive to repair. The city estimates the cost at $1 million a year.
- City waste haulers report the cost to recycle plastic bags is approximately $1,240 per ton.
Take your single-use plastic bags back to your local grocery or pharmacy stores for recycling.
San José Council Takes Action on Reduction of Single-Use Carryout Bags
Key Components of Proposed Plastic & Paper Bag Ordinance
On September 22, 2009 city staff was directed by City Council to finish an environmental review and return to Council with an ordinance to prohibit the use of single-use carryout plastic and paper bags including the following provisions:
- Apply to all retailers but exclude restaurants;
- Exempt non-profit and social service organizations;
- Exempt the use of “green” paper bags, containing at least 40% recycled content and direct staff to work with retail industry and return to Council with a recommendation on whether a 10 or 25 cent fee for retailers to cover additional costs of “green” paper bags is appropriate;
- Be effective no earlier than December 31, 2010, to allow for sufficient consumer education and “ramp-up” time;
- If the California legislature passes legislation relating to a fee or ban on single-use bags before the date of December 31, 2010, this item should return to Council to determine whether to maintain, alter, or eliminate the municipal ordinance;
- Exempt bulk or off the shelf purchases of plastic or paper bags.
Additionally, staff was directed to:
- continue to support legislation that would implement a state-wide program that would significantly reduce use of single-use carryout bags;
- continue its aggressive outreach campaign to promote the use of reusable bags in collaboration with similar regional initiatives prior to the implementation of the ordinance;
- perform additional outreach to include the ethnic Chambers of Commerce and small businesses;
- develop a method for measuring success and establish a baseline of data; and
- obtain acceptance and support from both the Santa Clara County Cities Association and the Recycling and Waste Reduction Commission.
A public scoping meeting occurred on November 12, 2009. The period for comments on the scope of the EIR ended on November 30, 2009. Comments received are available for public viewing at the following link: Single-Use Carryout Bags, File No. PP09-193
For information regarding the EIR Process, visit these links on the City of San José's Planning Department website:
Environmental Review Process
Environmental Impact Report Processing Timelines
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Full color 24" x 36" posters provide important information about disposable plastic and paper bags, including hidden costs, problems with recycling, and resource consumption. 