Budget bill includes full plastic bag ban
A total plastic bag ban on the Outer Banks is included in the $19 billion budget signed Wednesday by Gov. Bev Perdue.
The legislation expands the ban to all retailers along the northern coast by eliminating language that had limited it to stores with more than 5,000 square feet or chains with five or more outlets in the state.
It still contains wording that makes it specific to the coastal areas of Dare, Hyde and Currituck Counties. So it does not affect the mainland or Roanoke Island.
Stores will still be required to offer recycled paper bags, but the new legislation says that they must give customers a cash refund if they have their own reusable tote. The law previously allowed for a coupon equalling the cost of a paper bag.
The legislation also allows the use of plastic bags that were bought or contracted for before May 1 by a non-chain retailer or one with less than 5,000 square feet. The new law goes into effect Oct. 1.
Earlier this month, state Senate President Marc Basnight said he wanted to expand the ban because he thought it had proved to be effective when it was applied to larger stores starting last September.
His concern, he said, was the effect of plastic bags on the waters, marshes and marine life of the Outer Banks.
Dare County Commissioner Allen Burrus, who owns Burrus Red & White Supermarket in Hatteras, said switching to paper bags had added about $12,000 a year to his costs and has complicated storage and handling. His business has adjusted, he said, but he’s not convinced that people are ready to make a habit of reusable bags.
“It’s been a little bit of a hassle,” he said, “but we’ve retrained ourselves.”
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Full Plastic Bag Ban Snuck Into Budget Bill, Vote is Imminent « Truth or Dare says:
[...] } Outer Banks Voice is reporting and I can confirm that a full plastic bag ban for the Outer Banks was snuck into the budget bill [...]
John says:
“Stores would still be required to offer recycled paper bags” is this just like the stores that are required to off these paper bags now, but don’t offer paper bags, they have some kind of weird feeling plastic bags at home depot, kmart and wings?
Allan Dooley says:
The big retailers and their oh-so-clever lawyers have defied the intent of the bag ban by foisting on an unsuspecting public those even thicker, even less biodegradable, even more petroleum-wasting plastic sacks. Their absurd argument is that the ban is only on single-use bags, and you’re supposed to carry around and re-use your nifty thick bag. Right. I’m going to have a rack in my car with all the different stores’ bags, so I can bring one in with me. Say, maybe we could design and sell a plastic storage rack just for that!
Some of my cloth grocery bags go back to the 1980s, and they still work just fine. We used them to pack loose items when we travelled to our beach vacations, and they served us well at the Food Lion too. It’s a habit we can all get into.
ekim says:
With all the problems this wonderful state is having, plastic bags should be the least of our worries! Each beach access has a trash can with a plastic bag liner dog poopbag holders? WE gotta get rid of them. Basnight needs to go if this his biggest problem with the OBX !!
Selena K says:
I would like to see a ban on HELIUM BALLOONS.
We pick them up off the beach all the time and they definitely can kill marine life.
I say ban them as well if Sen. Basnight is truly doing this to protect marine life.
The Bag Lady says:
At first I resisted the bag ban, but after living with it I’ve changed my opinion and now support it; however I still question its implementation in the middle of an economic downturn, and the fact that the ban is limited to so few counties.
Dash for Cash in District 2 – Small Donors Favor Steinburg « Truth or Dare says:
[...] It may be Basnight’s pet project but Spear is along for the ride, for better or worse. The burdensome plastic bag ban has small business owners scrambling and wondering why Raleigh is imposing costly regulations [...]
No More Plastic Bags? It’s a Shore Thing « NJ Surfrider: Posts for Kate says:
[...] 2010, the state of North Carolina wrote into their budget a plastic bag ban for the Outer Banks, the state’s major beach area. This ban requires stores to offer recycled [...]