Community Corner

Review: Banned in Dana Point! Plastic Bags Are Officially Welcome No Longer

Originally posted by Rich Kane (Editor) , May 07, 2013 at 01:06 PM

Well, it's finally happened. One year after the Dana Point City Council passed the ordinance making it illegal for businesses to hand out single-use plastic bags to their customers, the law officially went into effect yesterday, April 1.

Dana Point now becomes the second Orange County city to implement a bag ban . Talk is swirling that the bag bans may even go statewide.

The new law is being enforced in stages, and yesterday was the day that big-name retailers with annual taxable sales of over $4 million had to comply (think supermarkets like Albertsons and Ralphs).

Find out what's happening in Laguna Niguel-Dana Pointwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The ordinance exempts plastic bags that are used for produce, raw meat and fish, foods bought in bulk, newspapers, dry cleaning, and of course, picking up dog poop -- because really, what else are you supposed to use for that, if not plastic bags?

Restaurants that have take-out are also exempt, but come October 1, everyone else is not. That's when the ban will hit all businesses with taxable sales of under $4 million, so start prepping for that deadline date now if you aren't already.

Find out what's happening in Laguna Niguel-Dana Pointwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Meanwhile, if you're still addicted to plastic bags, be on the lookout for enviro-friendly orgs like the Surfrider Foundation, who've been spotted around town outside of businesses, and will help wean you from your habit by handing out free reusable bags -- fitting, since Earth Day is this month.

Some people, though, have made claims that those reusable bags are actually worse than the single-use plastic ones.

What do you think about all this? Let us know in the comments below!


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