Who should take this survey?

Grocery stores, general merchandise stores, pharmacies, convenience stores, clothing, and any other retail businesses that provide plastic and paper single-use carry-out shopping bags to their customers. Non-profit stores and restaurants would not be affected.

Why should you take this survey?

The City of San José is considering options to reduce both plastic and paper single-use carry-out shopping bag consumption. This proposal may involve a ban or impose a fee on both plastic and paper single-use carry-out shopping bags. An intensive public education campaign to promote reusable shopping bags will accompany such an action.

Your input is important as we develop the proposal.

When will an ordinance go into effect?

How would
fees be imposed and used?

If approved, new requirements could go into effect as soon as July 1, 2009.

A fee of up to 25 cents per bag may be imposed on the consumer or business. Monies generated from the fees could pay for litter prevention, clean-up programs, public education, and administrative costs.

Why is this
ordinance being considered?

Safeguarding the environment is a good green business practice. By eliminating single-use shopping bags, we:

• Conserve the energy, water, trees and petroleum needed to produce the bags;
• Reduce carbon emissions from transporting bags to stores;
• Help reduce litter and its impacts on our community and waterways; and
• Reduce the amount of waste that is landfilled when not recycled properly.

By switching to reusable shopping bags, we can all help the environment and keep our streets and waterways clean.