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)