Santa Cruz County further reducing single-use plastics

No more single-use plastic bottles in Santa Cruz County establishments! That’s what the Board of Supervisors voted for this morning. While it was voted through this morning, it will still be quite some time before that goes into effect.

This morning the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously for a few changes. Groups like the ‘Surfrider foundation’ and ‘Save Our Shores’ say small victories like these are important. Plastic is “harming our ecosystems, it’s entering our bodies,” says Gail McNutly with Save Our Shores.

The plastic pollution problem is continually growing, and with microplastics now being found deep in the Monterey Bay, the Santa Cruz Community is doing everything they can to make a change.

“We’re talking about reducing waste in single use take-out restaurants, we’re talking about cigarette butts.” Those are just some ideas members of the community like Ali Webster brought to the Board this morning. The board listened to dozens of the public’s ideas on ways to eliminate plastics.

The supervisors also discussed with public works future ordinances, on top of the plastic bottle ban that went through. “They are also following the lead of Berkley and locally the city of Watsonville in implementing a charge for single use disposable cups. At businesses throughout the unincorporated county,” says Tim Goncharoff with Santa Cruz County Public Works.

These new rules will mean an extra charge when you buy your cup of coffee in the morning… probably around 10 to 25 cents. That charge won’t go to the business, but will help dispose of the cup later.

Public works will bring back these new rules at the end of October and it will most likely be next year before they take action.