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/4.4%/m/Imi <br /> LJS J <br /> ORDINANCE No. 3643-18 <br /> AN ORDINANCE Relating to Reusable Bags, Adding a New Chapter Entitled Reusable Bags <br /> to Title 8 EMC (Health and Safety) <br /> WHEREAS,residents have requested the City Council enact an Ordinance relating to <br /> disposable plastic waste, including plastic bags, out of concerns for the environment; and <br /> WHEREAS,the City Council desires to conserve resources,reduce greenhouse gas emissions, <br /> waste, litter, and marine pollution,protect wildlife, and to protect the public health and welfare, <br /> all of which increase the quality of life for the City's residents; and <br /> WHEREAS,the State Legislature, in RCW 70.95.010(4), established waste reduction as a <br /> fundamental strategy of solid waste management, including changing purchasing practices to <br /> reduce the amount of waste that becomes a governmental responsibility; and <br /> WHEREAS,the State Legislature, in RCW 70.95.010(6)(c), found that it is the responsibility of <br /> county and city governments "to assume primary responsibility for solid waste management and <br /> to develop and implement aggressive and effective waste reduction and source separation <br /> strategies;" and <br /> WHEREAS, less reliance on single-use carryout bags contributes toward achieving the goals of <br /> conserving energy and natural resources while reducing greenhouse gases and litter; and <br /> WHEREAS, single-use plastic carryout bags take many years to decompose and eventually <br /> break down into microscopic granules, which can persist in the environment and may pose a <br /> threat to animal life and the natural food chain; and <br /> WHEREAS,the Ocean Conservancy cited plastic bags as within the most collected items in the <br /> ocean trash index for Washington State per the Building a Clean Swell 2018 Report; and <br /> WHEREAS, single-use plastic carryout bags cause significant problems for recycling processors <br /> and are costly to deal with and dispose of; and <br /> WHEREAS, single-use plastic carryout bags can contaminate the compost stream and it is in the <br /> City's interest to reduce this contamination to help ensure local compost is marketable and viable <br /> for public and private use; and <br />