Mar 17 - Sausalito Approves First Reading of Bag Ordinance

On March 4, 2014, the City of San Rafael became the 100th city or county in the California to have an ordinance banning plastic bags, and Sausalito and Novato are poised to be the next to adopt their own plastic bag ordinances.

On March 4, the Sausalito city council adopted the Marin County Joint Powers Authority Final Environmental Impact Report and passed the first reading of its bag ordinance. The second and final reading of Sausalito’s ordinance will take place on March 18, 2014, the same day Novato (which went through a similar approval process in late February) will hold its second reading on a plastic bag ordinance.

Both cities, located in Marin County, have made their ordinances consistent with ordinances in other jurisdictions in the area including Marin County, San Rafael, and Mill Valley to avoid confusion among businesses and consumers...although Sausalito, Novato, and San Rafael will have a minimum 10 cent charge on recycled paper bags while Mill Valley and Marin County currently have a 5 cent minimum charge.

With the passage of these ordinances, California is moving closer to being a plastic bag free state.

See a list of all the cities and counties in California that have a bag ordinance in place.
Find out more information about SB 270, the bill to enact a ban of plastic bags in the state.