Ban on thick plastic bags goes into effect in Mount Pleasant

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD)- Thick plastic bags will no longer be available at Mount Pleasant stores starting Wednesday as the town furthers its ban on single-use plastics.

Town leaders voted in April to ban thick plastic bags, like those found at Walmart and Target, expanding a 2018 ordinance that prohibited businesses from using plastic bags, straws, and styrofoam containers.

The amended language was designed to crack down on national retailers skirting local rules, Brownstein added.

“What we found was a lot of our local retailers immediately complied with the [2018] ordinance but we found a lot of the national, big box stores..they shifted to this thicker plastic bag,” Councilmember Daniel Brownstein said.

While the heavy-duty bags are technically considered reusable — the plastics industry claims they can be reused up to 125 times — Brownstein said they are typically only used once.

“In practice, most people end up tossing them in the trash because they’re not recyclable,” he said.

Under the updated ordinance, businesses will now be required to move away from plastic bags altogether, instead offering greener options like paper or cloth.

“This requires that if you’re giving out a reusable bag, it has to have a hand-stitched, or stitched, handle on it which basically is designed to get rid of these thicker plastic bags that have a heat sealed handle on them,” Councilmember Daniel Brownstein said.

The hope, according to officials, is that the change will help keep harmful plastics out of the town’s waterways and landfills.

“Hopefully it will cut down on the amount of waste that our volunteers collect out of the waterways,” said Liz Boyles, the town’s Neighborhood Livability Division Chief. “The fewer plastic bags out there in circulation, hopefully, it means fewer we find in the environment, so that’s better for our marine life.”

The Mount Pleasant Police Department is responsible for enforcing the ban starting Aug. 14 and can fine businesses up to $500 for not complying.

In a statement to News 2, a Walmart spokesperson said that the company is working toward eliminating plastic bags as part of its zero-waste initiative.

“Fewer single-use plastic bags in circulation can help reduce the amount of litter that damages ecosystems or poses a threat to wildlife and humans,” the statement said. “As we continue our journey, we’re committed to identifying solutions that prioritize customers’ convenience and expectations, no matter how you shop with us.”

With this latest move, the town is following in the footsteps of other local municipalities that have banned plastic packaging. The City of Charleston’s updated ban on thick plastic bags also went into effect this summer.

“Now, the rules of the game should be relatively consistent throughout our region,” Brownstein said. “I think that’s important for retailers to have one set of rules to follow so that they’re able to operate in an environmentally-friendly manner.”