Submitted San Juan County Solid Waste Program

San Juan County and the Town of Friday Harbor recently passed ordinances regulating single-use carryout bags by retail establishments, to help reduce waste and impact to our water and wildlife.

As of May 1, retailers will no longer provide the thin plastic carryout bags with handles you often see floating in our harbors and waterways, and alongside our roads. All retailers will migrate to recyclable paper or reusable bags including heavier plastic bags. In-store collection bags for vegetables, fruits, meats, and other bulk items are still allowed.

Please do your part to help protect our fragile environment, and assist retailers in making the switch away from plastics, by bringing your own reusable bags when shopping. We appreciate your effort! For more information, visit sanjuanco.com/DocumentCenter/View/11652 or contact Mark Herrenkohl, solid waste program administrator at markh@sanjuanco.com.