Plastic Bag Ban Goes Into Effect For Unincorporated Monterey County

MONTEREY (CBS SF) -- Shoppers in unincorporated Monterey County will have to start bringing their own bags to businesses starting this Friday, when a plastic bag ban goes into effect, county officials said.

To help with the transition, reusable bags are available at various locations thanks to the county's environmental health bureau, Waste Management, The Offset Project and Save Our Shores.

The reusable bags will still be available once the ban goes into effect on Friday, according to county officials.

"We continue to give away reusable bags and provide information to shoppers and retailers," Teresa Rios, supervisor for the county's recycling and resource recovery services, said in a statement.

"The feedback from both shoppers and retailers has been overwhelmingly positive. We look forward continuing to support both retailers and shoppers as the ordinance goes into effect," Rios said.

Anyone who forgets to bring their own bag while shopping in unincorporated areas will have to pay 10 cents a bag, county officials said.

People purchasing food through the Women, Infants and Children or CalFresh programs will be given either a recyclable paper bag or reusable bag for free.

Customers can still bring a single-use bag to carry items from a business, according to county officials.

Restaurant, take-out food establishments and wholesale agricultural produce packing and shipping businesses in unincorporated parts of the county are exempt from the ban.

Multiple reusable bag outreach events are scheduled in the county through May.

More information on the ban can be found online at https://www.mtyhd.org/byob.

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