Shoppers will need their own totes after South Carolina county shuts down plastic bag loophole

The Beaufort County Council in South Carolina approved a ban on plastic bags, according to The Post and Courier.

What happened?

On June 8, Beaufort County Council voted 7-4 on the final reading of an ordinance amendment that bans plastic checkout bags of any thickness, The Post and Courier revealed. In their place, stores will have to provide paper bags or reusable fabric bags with stitched handles.

The paper noted the new language adds to a countywide ban adopted in 2018. It blocked thin plastic bags but still left room for thicker ones sold as reusable.

The revised ordinance also extends to other takeout items. It bans Styrofoam food containers and allows plastic straws and cutlery to be given out only when customers ask for them.

There are still some exceptions. Shoppers may continue bringing their own plastic bags, and plastic wrap used for raw meat, seafood, and loose produce is still in use for food safety reasons, the news outlet noted.

The ordinance won't take effect right now either. It will begin only after each municipality in Beaufort County adopts a comparable rule. Enforcement will then start eight months later.

Why is the plastic bag ban in Beaufort important?

Supporters speaking to The Post and Courier said the broader environmental and health benefits are the real focus.

"The Conservation League commends the Beaufort County Council for passing an ordinance to reduce the single-use plastic and polystyrene foam products that are entering our environment and causing health problems for people and wildlife," Grant McClure, South Coast office director with the Coastal Conservation League, said to the paper.

In a coastal county, discarded plastic can easily make its way into marshes, waterways and marine habitats. Foam containers are especially difficult to manage because they can break into smaller pieces that are harder to collect and clean up.

That being said, some people on the council don't support the new measure.

"This is only putting a strain on small businesses. … It does not stop anything," said Logan Cunningham, pointing to concerns about higher packaging costs for local merchants.

Others pushed for incentive programs instead to return bags or pick up litter.

What's being done?

The Post and Courier reported that the council revised the penalties so violations would count as civil infractions rather than criminal misdemeanors. Businesses would receive warning tickets and escalating fines instead of criminal charges.

Public feedback also leaned strongly in favor of the changes with bans on styrofoam drawing the most overall support. 

Municipal governments in the surrounding towns and cities now represent the next major step for the plastic bag ban. 

"While we celebrate this result, the ball is now in the court of the municipalities," McClure concluded to The Post and Courier.

Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.