Sonoma Angles to Join Countywide Plastic Bag Ban

The Sonoma City Council voiced support for unified plastic-bag front Monday, voting unanimously in an unofficial "psudeo-motion" to join in a 

Though minute details of the legislation haven't been released, the bill, presented by the Sonoma County Waste Management Agency, would unite Sonoma County in a ban against single-use plastic bags and a tax on paper ones.

Though the agency presented options for municipal-specific legislation, SCWMA expects the county-wide ordinance to be the most fiscally prudent option.

If all nine Sonoma County cities and the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors agree, SCWMA would cover the cost to hire a consultant to do an California Environmental Quality Act environmental impact review, or EIR, and to draft the necessary legislation for a countywide ordinance.

The SCWMA estimates the county-wide option saves municipalities over $300,000, versus passing individual bans.

Read about costs in SCWMA's chart, at right.

So far, six cities have approved the effort: Sonoma, Petaluma, Sebastopol, Healdsburg, Windsor, Cloverdale and Cotati. Rohnert Park and Santa Rosa are to address it next month.

Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, who also need to sign off on it, will look at the matter today, Tuesday, at their weekly public meeting.

Sonoma County Waste Management Agency would also assume legal responsibility and mount a defense should anyone file a lawsuit against the ordinance. Lawsuits aren't out of the question.

"Save The Plastic Bag," a pro-plastic activist group, filed a lawsuit against the city of Manhattan Beach in Southern California, which went all the way to the California Supreme Court. (Manhattan Beach won.)

"It appears the successful formula is to ban plastic and impose a fee on paper," said Henry Mikus, Executive Director of the SCWMA.

Enacting the fee, said Mikus, creates a semi-level playing field between the two retail products.

Council members were quick to clarify: the vote signals approval of a unified front not acceptance of a ban.

"What you're saying is no more plastic bags, which I love, and we have paper bags, but if you want one it's gonna cost a nickle," said City Councilman Tom Rouse. (Answer: In a word, yes.)

"I'd like to express my preference for the SCWMA to take the full lead on this," said Mayor Pro Tem Joanne Sanders. "As one unified group, with over half a million constituents, I think it will help us to move forward.

The ban would only apply to carry-out plastic bags, not the plastic bags used for produce at supermarkets.

Keri Brenner contributed reporting