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<br /> 2 <br />DRAFT <br />4/14/16 <br />7.1.3 states that the Authority shall coordinate with other organizations as needed to <br />fulfill its countywide role including coordinating on related issues such as water <br />and litter. Objective 7.8 states that the Authority will coordinate and facilitate program <br />implementation by individual or subregional groupings of member agencies. <br /> <br />(h) Numerous studies have documented the prevalence of plastic carry-out bags <br />littering the environment, blocking storm drains and fouling beaches. <br /> <br />(i) Plastic bags are a substantial source of marine debris. <br /> <br />(j) Plastic bags cause operational problems at County landfills and transfer stations <br />and contribute to litter countywide. <br /> <br />(k) The Authority has participated in a campaign with The Bay Area Recycling Outreach <br />Coalition to promote reusable bags countywide for several years. Despite these <br />efforts, plastic bags comprise 9.6% of litter collected during coastal cleanup days <br />(based on 2008 data) in Alameda County. Additionally, plastic bags continue to <br />cause processing equipment problems at County transfer stations. Agency studies <br />show that as a result of Ordinance 2012-2, there has been a 44% decrease in <br />plastic bags found in Alameda County Storm drains and a 69% decrease in <br />paper and plastic bags at point of sale, and the number of shoppers bringing a <br />reusable bag to affected stores, or not using a bag at all, has more than doubled. <br /> <br />(l) Member Agencies are required by the Municipal Regional Permit (MRP) for <br />storm water to reduce trash by 70% by 2017 and 100% by 2022, with cities <br />having the option to implement plastic bag bans to achieve these requirements. <br /> <br />(m) There are several alternatives to single-use carry-out bags readily available. <br /> <br />(n) Studies document that banning single use plastic bags and charging for single use <br />paper bags will dramatically reduce the single use of both types of bags. Despite the <br />positive impacts of the existing ordinance, it is estimated that 62% of the <br />projected 764 million bags distributed in Alameda County are distributed by <br />currently affected stores. Further efforts are needed to decrease single-use <br />checkout bags. <br /> <br />(o) The Authority prepared the Mandatory Recycling and Single Use Bag Reduction <br />Ordinances Environmental Impact Report, which considered two separate projects and <br />included the environmental review required by the California Environmental Quality <br />Act for this Ordinance. The Authority certified those portions of the EIR relevant to this <br />Ordinance. [This section will describe the additional environmental review <br />prepared for amending the reusable bag ordinance once the review is completed]. <br /> <br />(p) This ordinance will be enforced using the principle of progressive enforcement <br />with the objective of bringing the regulated community into compliance. <br />Progressive enforcement measures shall be used in the following order in order to <br />promote compliance: (i) official notification of non-compliance, (ii) warning of an