Palm Desert delays plastic bag ban to gain business community input

On Dec. 8, the Palm Desert City Council postponed its decision to proceed with a staff recommendation to prepare a draft ordinance that would ban most single-use plastic bags, charge for paper bags and require outreach and education program.

In the hour-long hearing, Mayor Benson and several members of the council acknowledged the environmental issues but were reluctant to proceed due to the potential risk to small business and an already weakened economy.

Ultimately, the city council requested that city staff engage the business community and called upon the California Restaurant Association (CRA) and the Palm Desert Area Chamber of Commerce to lead a local business stakeholder committee to evaluate all impacts associated with a ban on plastic bags. The stakeholder group will convene early January.

For more information, contact Chris Duggan at cduggan@calrest.org.