San Jose's pioneering Single-Use Carryout Bag Ordinance under SJMC Chapter 9.10, adopted in 2012, banned thin plastic bags and required minimum charges for paper or reusable bags at retail checkout citywide.
San Jose adopted its Single-Use Carryout Bag Ordinance in 2011 with full enforcement starting January 2012, codified at SJMC Chapter 9.10. The rule bans thin single-use plastic carryout bags at point of sale and requires retailers to charge a minimum fee for recycled-content paper or reusable bags. The fee is retained by the retailer and shown as a separate line item. Restaurants, produce bags, and pharmacy prescription bags are exempt. The ordinance was a model for California's statewide SB-270 plastic bag law. CalRecycle's broader 2024 SB-1053 phaseout of all plastic bags by 2026 layers atop the local rule, with San Jose enforcing both.
Retailers distributing banned plastic bags face escalating administrative fines: warning notice, then per-occurrence penalties, with continued violations referred for citation through code enforcement and the Environmental Services Department.
San Jose, CA
San Jose's Polystyrene Foam Foodware Ordinance under SJMC Chapter 9.10, effective 2014, prohibits restaurants and food vendors from using expanded polystyren...
San Jose, CA
California AB-1884 prohibits dine-in restaurants from automatically providing plastic straws unless requested, and San Jose layers SJMC Chapter 9.10 single-u...
San Jose, CA
San Jose mandates recycling and organics diversion under SJMC Chapter 9.10 and California's SB 1383 (organics recycling) and AB 341 (commercial recycling). A...
See how San Jose's plastic bag rules rules stack up against other locations.
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