Chico Municipal Code Ch. 8.36 Single-Use Carryout Bags

A. It is the intent of the City of Chico, in enacting this chapter, to:

• 1. Reduce the common use of plastic single-use carryout bags;
• 2. Reduce the consumption of single-use bags in general;
• 3. Encourage the use of reusable bags by consumers and retailers; and

4. Allow stores to recover the reasonable cost of providing recyclable paper bags to customers.

B. The city council finds as follows:

1. The use of single-use carryout bags by consumers at retail establishments is detrimental to the environment, public health and welfare.

2. Billions of single-use plastic carryout bags are used in California each year and only a small percentage are recycled.

3. The manufacture and distribution of single-use carryout bags requires utilization of natural resources and results in the generation of greenhouse gas emissions;

4. Single-use carryout bags provided by retail establishments impose unseen costs on consumers, local governments, the state and taxpayers and constitute a public nuisance.

5. The regulations in this chapter will reduce the use of single-use carryout bags and encourage the use of reusable bags which will maintain and enhance natural resources by reducing the environmental impacts of the manufacture and use of single-use carryout bags.

(Ord. 2448)

For the purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply:

A. “Single-use carryout bag” means a bag made of plastic, paper, or other material that is provided by a store to a customer at the point of sale and that is not a reusable bag, as defined in this section. Single-use carryout bag does not include a bag without handles provided to a customer to:

1. Transport prepared food, produce, bulk food or meat from a department within a store to the point of sale;

2. Hold prescription medication dispensed from a pharmacy; or

3. Segregate food or merchandise that could damage or contaminate other food or merchandise when placed together in a reusable bag or recyclable paper bag.

B. “Recyclable paper bag” means a single-use paper bag provided by a store to a customer at the point of sale that contains a minimum of 40% post-consumer recycled content and is 100% recyclable, except that an eight pound or smaller paper bag shall contain a minimum of 20% post-consumer recycled content.

C. “Reusable bag” is a bag with handles that is specifically designed and manufactured for multiple reuse and that meets the following requirements:

1. It is made of cloth or another material that is machine washable or can be cleaned and disinfected;

2. If it is made of plastic, it is a minimum of 2.25 mils thick; and

3. It meets lead and other heavy metal safety requirements as specified for packaging under the Toxics in Packaging Law found at California Health & Safety Code Section 25214.11 et seq.

D. “Store” means a retail establishment that meets any of the following:

1. It is a full-line, self-service retail store with gross annual sales of two million dollars ($2,000,000) or more, and which sells a line of dry grocery, canned goods, or nonfood items and some perishable items;

2. It has over 10,000 square feet of retail space that generates sales or use tax pursuant to the Bradley-Burns Uniform Local Sales and Use Tax Law (commencing at Section 7200 of the California Revenue and Taxation Code) and has a pharmacy licensed pursuant to the Pharmacy Law (commencing at Section 4000 of the California Business & Professions Code); or

3. Is a convenience food store, foodmart, or other entity engaged in the retail sale of a limited line of goods that generally includes milk, bread, soda and snack foods, and which has a Type 20 or 21 license issued by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

(Ord. 2448)

On and after January 1, 2015, for those stores defined in section 8.36.020.D.1 and 2, and on and after January 1, 2016, for those stores defined in section 8.36.020.D.3, stores shall not provide single use carryout bags to customers at the point of sale except as provided in this section.

A. Stores may provide recyclable paper bags to customers upon request but shall charge the customer a cost for each bag which shall not be less than ten cents ($0.10) per bag.

B. Stores shall provide customers participating in the California Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children, the CalFresh program, or other government subsidized purchase programs for low-income residents with reusable bags or recyclable paper bags at no cost.

C. Stores shall have reusable bags available for purchase by customers.

D. Stores defined in section 8.36.020.D.1 and 2, may provide reusable bags to all customers at no cost from July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015, when the provision of such bags is combined with a limited time store promotional program to promote the use of reusable bags. Each such limited time event shall not exceed 30 consecutive days and the total number of days for all such events held by any store shall not exceed 90 days. Stores defined in section 8.36.020.D.3 may provide reusable bags to all customers at no cost from July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016, when the provision of such bags is combined with a limited time store promotional program to promote the use of reusable bags. Each such limited time event shall not exceed 30 consecutive days and the total number of days for all such events held by any store shall not exceed 90.

E. The sale of any recyclable paper bag or reusable bag to a customer shall be separately itemized on the sales receipt.

(Ord. 2448)

Every store which is subject to this chapter shall keep complete and accurate records documenting the purchase and sale of recyclable paper bags and reusable bags by the store for a period of one year from the purchase and sale. Such records shall be available for inspection by the city within seven business days of a request by city and may be provided for city review either on paper or electronically.

(Ord. 2448)