Environmental Ordinances Get My Vote

I am thrilled to report that the City of Piedmont is in the midst of considering two vitally important environmental ordinances. I enthusiastically embrace these ordinances as significant preliminary steps in the right direction for our city.

StopWaste.org (the Alameda County Waste Management Agency) is proposing two ordinances addressing mandatory recycling and single-use bag reduction.

Richmond Sanity Services already offers its customers in Piedmont unlimited collection of everything from cardboard and plastic bottles to food scraps and E-waste. The mandatory recycling ordinance would involve making full use of those services.

Piedmont recycling more will help the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery accomplish its goal of reducing five million metric tons of CO2 statewide and Alameda County's goal of 90 percent diversion of readily recyclable materials.  

The second ordinance would prohibit the free distribution of single-use plastic bag shopping bags, except at restaurants and non-profit thrift stores, to address some serious concerns.

Annually, an estimated 104 million single-use paper bags and 764 million single-use plastic bags are distributed in Alameda County alone. Plastic, primarily from single-use plastic packaging, is a significant component of urban and marine litter, ultimately breaking down and poisoning our food chain. By interfering with machinery, plastic bags increase labor and costs at recycling facilities. Annual costs in Alameda County for remediation of litter found in storm drains is approximately $24 million.

The ordinance would still allow plastic carryout bags that are identified as reusable, yet would require a minimum charge of 10 cents. Paper bags of at least 40 percent recycled content would also be allowed, with a similar charge of at least 10 cents.

Three of the four retailers in Piedmont already only give out paper bags—they would just need to verify that the bags contain 40 percent recycled content. The fourth retailer, Valero, would need to eliminate its single-use plastic bags and verify the content of its paper bags.

All four retailers would have to modify their checkout practices to include the 10 cent charge per bag. It might just make you think twice about forgetting your reusable bag at home or in your car if you have to pay for a paper bag.

I'm ready to move forward and begin protecting the future of our planet for our children. Please tell City Council that you too support the Mandatory Recycling and Single Use Bag Reduction Ordinances.