Campbell City Council Will Discuss Plastic Bag Ban

Love it or hate it, the city of Campbell once more has the topic of plastic bags on the table.

Tonight at 6:30 p.m., the Campbell City Council will hold a study session at City Hall, 70 N. First St., along with representatives of the West Valley Solid Waste Management Authority.

If the council decides to move forward with a potential ban, it can bring it to a council vote in July, with a six-month period afterwards for implementation. This would mean that the ban could go into effect beginning in 2014. If Campbell wants to roll out the ban at the same time as the Town of Los Gatos, there will be additional time needed.

The potential cost to the city: a one-time cost of $10,000-$14,000 for implementation and education.

This discussion first began in February 2012 when the West Valley Solid Waste Management Joint Powers Agency Board voted unanimously to recommend their prohibition in retail establishments.

The committee, which consisted of Evan Low, Los Gatos Mayor Steve Rice, Saratoga Councilman Howard Miller and Monte Sereno Vice Mayor Curtis Rogers directed agency staff to draft a letter recommending banning single-use bags and polystyrene containers to the West Valley Mayors and Managers Association, which includes the cities of Campbell, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno and Saratoga. 

In February 2013, the council had a study session to discuss the Clean Water Program and trash load reduction requirements. The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board issues the municipal regional permit used by the city of Campbell and mandates the reduction of trash deposited in local waterways as follows:

• 40 percent by 2014
• 70 percent by 2017
• 100 percent by 2022

A ban on plastic bags will likely result in less trash in local waterways but the city of Campbell had already proposed to achieve 40 percent by 2014 without a ban. It will be very difficult to achieve 70 percent in 2017 without it, staff wrote in its memo.

Related articles:

• EIR Release Wraps Plastic Bag Ban Impacts Together
• The Paper Vs. Plastic Bag Fight: Does Canvas Win?
• Breaking Down the Plastic Bag Ban EIR
• First Plastic Bag Ban Forum in Campbell Tonight
• Discussions on Proposed Bag Ban Continue
• Campbell May Be Closer to a Ban on Plastic Bags
• POLL: Ban the Bag? What About the 'Foam?
• Campbell Needs Your Input on Plastic Bag Ban
• POLL: Has the Plastic Bag Ban Affected Your Shopping?

Don’t be left out of the conversation in Campbell—Get our daily newsletter delivered | Post an event to our Calendar | Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Follow us on Instagram | Start a blog