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11.18.10

Arcata Makes A Motion to Ban Plastic Bags!

Great movement in Arcata!

Last night at the Arcata City Council meeting a motion was made to affirm support for the concept of a local plastic bag ban and the city staff was directed to work with Humboldt Waste Management Authority (HWMA) to develop an ordinance and EIR. If HWMA is not timely enough (meaning in the first few months of next year), Arcata wants to take the issue up again and move forward on their own.

Here is an article in today's Times-Standard about last night's meeting.

Some quotes and comments from last night:

Councilmember Shane Brinton: "I see this as an opportunity for Arcata to be a regional leader in a way that we are known to be and that we should continue to be."

Councilmember Alex Stillman said we should use HWMA as an educational tool, work through the system and have a much bigger impact in our county

Brinton: If HWMA doesn't come back with something within first few months of 2011, Arcata will pick it back up itself and move forward without it

Jim Test of HWMA: smaller communities (Trinidad, Blue Lake, Ferndale, Rio Dell) don't have the resources to dedicate to this; HWMA can help move this throughout the county instead of just cities

Brinton: Motion: To affirm support for concept of local ban on plastic bags and to direct staff to work with HWMA on an ordinance and EIR to ban plastic bags and if HWMA board does not support such a process within the first 2 months of next year, come back to council to begin the process of creating our own plastic bag ban... seconded by Councilmember Susan Ornelas...all in favor! None opposed.

Brinton: Wants Arcata staff to come up with set of ideas/thoughts that would want to be shared with HWMA, sent as a letter, so it's not getting all wrapped up in the Motion, not mandatory, but concepts that Arcata supports and HWMA has that to work with (Jim Test of HWMA agrees)

Video feed from last night's meeting:


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