The Del Mar City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to ban single-use plastic carry-out bags.
Several county cities, such as Encinitas and Solana Beach, have already implemented similar plastic bag bans.
The reasoning behind the ban centers around the environmental impact of plastic bags, according to the city’s Sustainability Committee. However, the proposed ban would not be applicable to the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
The move comes in light of an expected vote on California's plastic bag ban law, which will be on the November 2016 ballot, state election officials have said. The implementation of the law is suspended until voters weigh in on the issue.
According to staff recommendations, the city of Del Mar will undergo a six-month phased implementation for retail establishments and a one-year phased implementation for restaurants and the Del Mar Farmers Market.
"...affected retail establishments are strongly encouraged to provide incentives for the use of reusable bags by passing through the cost of recycled bags and/or by providing rebates for the use of reusable bags. A paper bag cost pass-through incentive to provide a recycled paper bag shall not be less than $0.10 cents," staff wrote in their recommendations.
Citywide implementation will work as follows: Phase 1, for retail spaces, the ban will go into effect on Oct. 6, 2016. For restaurants and farmers markets, the ban would go into effect April 6, 2017.
