Officials implement ban on common grocery store item that will force customers to rethink shopping habits

Beaufort, South Carolina, is getting serious about single-use plastic waste. The city is going above and beyond tightening up a 2018 plastic bag ban with new rules to take on more types of plastic litter.

The Island Packet reported on the expanded city rules that could make a major dent in the amount of waste that ends up in the local environment. First on the docket were stricter rules for bags.

Stores went away from conventional plastic bags. However, through a clever reading of the rule, retailers, including Walmart, substituted in thicker plastic bags. Advocates noted that these bags were no different in impact, even if they were branded as "reusable."

They asserted that consumer behavior was the same when discarding them. They continued to pollute the environment, including the low-lying marshes and waterways that are crucial to local wildlife and community health. The proposed new rule would mandate that bags be made of cloth with stitched handles. 

Another rule is to ban businesses from offering single-use food service items and polystyrene foam (aka Styrofoam) products. Lastly, a rule suggests that while plastic straws and utensils aren't forbidden, they would only be available to customers via request or through self-service stations. 

Community support for the ordinance was notable. Before deciding to propose the rules, a survey of over 6,000 residents and 1,000 businesses found major support for banning plastic bags and all uses of foam. 

Support was lower for complete bans of plastic straws and utensils, which likely explains the compromises on those items. 

As far as enforcement, businesses would face a written warning before escalating to fines starting at $100, with revoked business licenses on the table for repeat offenders. If passed, businesses would have eight months to adapt to the new rules before any punishments.

Organizations such as the Port Royal Sound Foundation and the Coastal Conservation League applauded the move to safeguard the local environment.

"We do need to get plastic out of Beaufort, especially with our beautiful waterways, where it happens too often," Patricia Jaudon, a participant in the 2018 ordinance, told The Island Packet.

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