Monterey Switches to Reusable Bags
Keep the sea plastic free!

Every year, up to five trillion petroleum-based plastic bags are used worldwide. Americans use approximately 100 billion plastic bags per year, requiring 12 million barrels of oil to manufacture. The production and disposal of plastic bags causes significant environmental impacts, including contamination of the environment, deaths of thousands of marine animals through ingestion and entanglement, widespread litter and debasement of the urban environment, and increased waste disposal costs. Toxic substances present in plastics are believed to cause death or reproductive failure in fish, shellfish and wildlife, and in humans ingesting fish. 

With the intent of eliminating the common use of single-use carry out bags and encouraging the use of reusable bags, Monterey City Code Chapter 14, Article 4 requires (but is not limited to) the following:

• No retail establishment selling perishable or non-perishable goods including, but not limited to, clothing, food, and personal items directly to the customer shall provide a single-use carryout bag to a customer at the check stand, cash register, point of sale or other point of departure for the purpose of transporting food or merchandise out of the establishment except as provided in Section 14-21.
• Public eating establishments - restaurants, take-out food establishments, or any other business receiving 90% or more of its revenue from the sale of food prepared on the premises to be eaten on or off its premises - are not considered retail establishments for the purpose of Article 4.
• Nonprofit charitable re-users or a distinct operating unit of the charitable organization that re-uses and recycles donated goods or materials and receives more than 50% of its revenue from the handling and sale of those donated goods or materials, are not considered retail establishments for the purpose of Article 4.

The cost for paper bags at all retail facilities in the City of Monterey is 25 cents per bag (effective January 1, 2013). All fees collected are retained by the retail stores where they are charged.

What is a single-use carryout bag? A bag, other than a reusable or recycled bag, provided at point of sale or departure for the purpose of transporting food or merchandise out of the establishment. Single-use carryout bags do not include bags - maximum of 11x17 inches - without handles provided to the customer to: transport produce or bulk food/meat within a store to point of sale, hold prescription medication, or segregate food or merchandise that could damage or contaminate other food or merchandise when placed together in a bag.

What is a reusable bag? A bag made of cloth or other machine washable fabric that has handles, or a durable plastic bag with handles that is at least 2.25 mils thick, and is specifically designed and manufactured for multiple reuse.

What is a recycled paper bag? A bag containing no old growth fiber and a minimum of 40% post-consumer recycled content, is 100% recyclable, and has printed in a highly visible manner on the outside of the bag the words "reusable" and "recyclable," the name and location of the manufacturer, and 

Here's a comprehensive list of FAQ Questions and Answers for both shoppers and retailers.

Printable Bag Ban Flyer

Printable Point of Purchase Card for Retailers