Frequently Asked Questions

About the Plastic Bag Ban

Residents, visitors and businesses in the City of Napa discard approximately 27 million plastic bags each year, according to CalRecycle. A small percentage are recycled, but the majority end up in landfills, litter the landscape, pollute our river and creeks, harm or kill wildlife, and jam recycling equipment. Educating our community about the problems plastic bags create is important, but education alone is not enough.

In 2012, Napa Valley CanDo made an effort to limit use of these one-time bags by giving away reusable bags and encouraging their use, however a survey after their Better Bag Month bag giveaway and education program showed only a small increase in reusable bag use. On the other hand, according to Californians Against Waste, cities and counties that have instituted a single-use plastic bag ban (which includes a charge for paper bags) have seen single-use plastic bag use decrease by 95%, paper bag use decrease by 30%, and plastic litter in waterways decrease by 60%.

Across the country, cities and counties are instituting plastic bag bans in an effort to tackle the problem effectively, prevent pollution, and save money. This ordinance will reduce litter and waste as well as contamination in recycling and composting programs - in turn reducing costs to taxpayers in the City of Napa. In addition, the law will improve water quality in our rivers and streams, the bay and the ocean by reducing plastic bag pollution.