On October 15, 2013 the County Board of Supervisors instructed staff to move forward with an environmental review of a Single-Use Plastic Bag Ban (SUPBB) Ordinance for the unincorporated areas of Santa Barbara County. The draft ordinance (which can be viewed here) is based on a regional effort from both Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties.

As of October 28, 2013, there are now 66 similar ordinances enacted throughout the state that affect 87 local jurisdictions. Locally, Single-Use Plastic Bag Ban Ordinances have been passed in the Cities of Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, and Ojai.

A draft EIR will be released to the public (and posted here!) in December for comment. County staff released the Notice of Preparation (NOP) for the draft EIR on November 5.

This proposed ordinance would prohibit the sale or distribution of single-use carryout plastic bags at grocery stores, supermarkets, pharmacies, and liquor stores and require these retailers to impose a mandatory charge of $0.10 for each paper carryout bag provided. The goal is to reduce the use of all bags, not just paper or plastic, by encouraging the public to only use a bag when needed and to increase the use of reusable bags.