MEMORANDUM
TO: Ocean
and Coastal Community
FROM: Drew Bohan,
Executive Policy Officer
DATE: August
19, 2008
SUBJECT:
Reminder - Written Public Comments on OPC Staff Draft Strategy to
Reduce Ocean Litter Due August 21, 2008
In late July, California’s Ocean
Protection Council (OPC) staff released a draft strategy to reduce and eliminate
ocean litter by banning plastic bags and containers statewide. In support
of the OPC’s historic resolution last year to eliminate marine debris, the draft
recommendations also call for plastic manufacturers to recover and dispose of
their products and for product user fees to be assessed.
OPC staff is
seeking comments on the draft implementation strategy in writing by Thursday,
Aug. 21, 2008. Staff will incorporate changes to the draft based on comments
received. The OPC is also soliciting public comment during its meeting
Sept. 11 at 9 a.m. in Half Moon Bay. An updated recommended strategy that
will include public input will be presented to the OPC for its consideration at
this meeting.
The release of the OPC staff draft strategy is designed to
set the stage for actions that, when implemented, will have far reaching benefit
for ocean health. If accepted by the OPC, most of the recommendations
would require legislation to be enacted.
The implementation
strategy identifies three primary approaches that California should take to
eliminate marine debris. California should: (1) establish a “take-back”
program for many types of product packaging that would require plastic packaging
manufacturers to take these products back and dispose of them properly; (2)
institute a statewide prohibition on single-use plastic bags and polystyrene
takeout containers; and (3) impose fees on other packaging.
On Feb. 8,
2007, the OPC passed a marine debris resolution (linked below) that identified
13 recommendations for reducing and preventing ocean litter. The
council noted that this litter, commonly known as marine debris, harms hundreds
of marine species, from birds that eat small pieces of debris and feed it to
their young, to marine mammals that get entangled in larger pieces.
According to the Long Beach-based Algalita Marine Research Foundation,
60 to 80 percent of the world’s ocean litter is made up of plastic. In
some areas, 90 to 95 percent of the marine debris is plastic. State and
local governments spend millions of dollars every year on ocean litter cleanup.
In fiscal year 2006, Caltrans spent $55 million to remove litter and debris from
roadsides and highways. Uncollected, most of this will ultimately drain into the
ocean. Marine debris also negatively impacts California’s $46 billion
tourism-based ocean-dependent economy. Despite an ongoing effort for
decades to reduce ocean litter, the proliferation of plastic debris has
increased exponentially.
California communities are not alone in
recognizing plastic bags as a significant threat to the marine
environment. Several states, including Alaska, Massachusetts, New York,
and Washington are considering plastic bag prohibitions. China, Australia,
South Africa, Bangladesh, Tanzania, and several other countries recently banned
plastic grocery bags. In 2002, Ireland imposed a tax on the distribution of
plastic grocery bags that resulted in a 95 percent drop in plastic bag use since
the tax was implemented. Whole Foods Market recently stopped offering
plastic bags in its nearly 300 stores.
Full and partial polystyrene food
container prohibitions have been implemented in many California cities
including: Alameda, Aliso Viejo, Berkeley, Calabasas, Capitola, Carmel,
Emeryville, Fairfax, Hercules, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Laguna Woods, Los
Angeles, Malibu, Millbrae, Oakland, Pacific Grove, Pittsburg, San Clemente, San
Francisco, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Cruz, Santa Monica, Scotts Valley and West
Hollywood.
The counties of Ventura, San Mateo and Sonoma have also
imposed some kind of prohibition as have the cities of Rahway, N.J., Portland,
Ore., and Freeport, Maine and Suffolk County, N.Y.
For a copy of the
draft implementation strategy or instructions for submitting comments to the
OPC, visit the Web site:
http://www.resources.ca.gov/copc/.
To view the OPC’s Feb. 8, 2007 marine
debris resolution visit:
http://www.resources.ca.gov/copc/02-08-07_meeting/Adopted_Marine_Debris_Res_0207.pdf.
------------------------
Steven
Aceti, JD
Executive Director
California Coastal Coalition
1133 Second
Street, Suite G
Encinitas, CA 92024
(760) 944-3564
(760) 944-7852
fax
steveaceti@no.address
www.calcoast.org
The California Coastal
Coalition (CalCoast) is a non-profit advocacy
group comprised of 35 coastal
cities; seven counties; AMBAG, BEACON,
SANDAG and SCAG; along with business
associations and allied groups
committed to restoring California's shoreline
through sand
replenishment, increasing the flow of natural sediment,
wetlands
recovery and improved water quality.
Ricanthony@no.address
RichardAnthonyAssociates.com
San Diego,
California