Municipalities are forbidden by the clause from banning or controlling the use of 'auxiliary containers,' such as Bags, Packaging, and cups. This new clause comes as towns like Durham and Asheville discuss imposing taxes or prohibitions on things like disposable plastic Shopping Bags. The clause also prevents municipalities from regulating the usage of shopping carts, or imposing fines on companies for locating carts that have been abandoned elsewhere. Documents that detail changes to laws tend to have official Letterheads on them.
The Durham City Council was going to vote on a law requiring companies to charge customers 10 cents for each bag. It was also going to prohibit the use of plastic cutlery in restaurants. This may not come to be, because the new clause forbids municipalities from adopting regulations that:
“Restrict, tax, charge a fee, prohibit, or otherwise regulate the use, disposition, or sale of an auxiliary container.”
The city will not be permitted to enact any restricted ordinance if the proposed budget passes. Local businesses can still enact their own regulations around single-use plastics.
In Buncombe County, the environmental activism group named MountainTrue has lobbied for an outright ban on plastic bags and has organized cleanups to get rid of trash that has accumulated in French Broad, Swannanoa, and other local rivers.Get a Free Quote for Shopping Bags Get a Free Quote for Letterheads Get a Free Quote for Packaging Get a Free Quote for Bags