Opposition to a grocery bag tax proposed by a county commission
has mounted in recent weeks, though Morgan Hill city staff maintain
that such a fee would be in line with the council’s adopted
”
environmental agenda.
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Opposition to a grocery bag tax proposed by a county commission has mounted in recent weeks, though Morgan Hill city staff maintain that such a fee would be in line with the council’s adopted “environmental agenda.”
Last month, the Santa Clara County Recycling and Waste Reduction Commission proposed a model ordinance that would allow cities to charge a $.25 fee for single-use retail shopping bags. The commission is expected to consider the ordinance at its Feb. 25 meeting for the second time, after it was tabled at a meeting in December.
The Morgan Hill city council heard a staff report and public testimony on the proposed fee, which would apply to both paper and plastic bags, at all retail shopping establishments, excluding restaurants.
The local Chamber of Commerce, the American Chemistry Council, and a local Realtor all voiced opposition to the tax.
Chris Giusiana, President of the Chamber, has said that such a fee would be bad for business. She said it would have the biggest impact on small businesses. Plus, she said single-use bags are a form of advertising for retailers whose names and logos are printed on them, and encouraging the limitation of their use would hinder a form of advertising.
Other cities’ chambers in Santa Clara County, including Milpitas, Gilroy, Campbell, Los Altos, Sunnyvale, and Santa Clara, have noted their opposition to the bag tax. Furthermore, the city councils of Los Altos and Milpitas have rejected the tax.
No council members indicated whether they were in support or in opposition to any version of a retail bag tax. But environmental programs administrator Anthony Eulo said such a measure would fit in with the city’s “environmental agenda,” as it would likely achieve its purpose of reducing waste by reducing consumers’ use of plastic and paper that would be discarded.
Eulo said a portion of the collected fees would go to the retail stores to help them cover the cost of administering the program. Most of the revenue would go back to the city to fund environmental education programs, litter cleanup and recycling program improvements.
If approved by the RWRC, the model ordinance would be available for cities in the county to adopt if they so choose, or they could modify it, adopt only part of the ordinance, or adopt no ordinance at all, according to Zachary Devine of the county’s Agricultural and Environmental Management Department.
A number of other organizations have voiced their opposition to the proposal, including the California Grocers Association and the California Retailers Association.
