North Myrtle Beach officials look to push back plastic bag ban start date

A plastic bag ban in North Myrtle Beach could be pushed back due to lack of paper supplies, which some local business owners say would prohibit them from complying with the rule.

North Myrtle Beach City Council met Monday to consider amending the start date of the ban from Jan. 1, 2022 to Jan. 1, 2023.

But after discussion with environmental groups, business owners and concerned residents, council members agreed to change the effective date to July 1, 2022. Council will have to approve the ordinance a second time before the change is official.

The ban calls for certain stores, such as groceries and food markets, convenience stores, and restaurants to forgo single-use carry out plastic bags and utilize more environmentally friendly bags. An exemption will be made for plastic bags used for meat and produce, dry cleaners and newspapers. Bags of prescription drugs, garbage bags, and yard and pet waste will also be exempt.

Cheryl Kilday, who serves as president of Destination North Myrtle Beach, the city’s chamber of commerce, sent a letter to City Manager Mike Mahaney requesting officials to monitor the supply chain and make sure businesses are ready for the change.

She told The Sun News the chamber has offered to do a community wellness program and send members of her team to stores and discuss their options with them.

“It’s not that people don’t want to [comply]. That’s not what we’re hearing,” Kilday said. “We’re hearing people say, ‘I can’t. I can’t get what I need to comply.’”

Companies have begun ordering more items and hoarding them to ensure they don’t run out, resulting in an increased demand for supplies and causing shortages, The Associated Press reported Monday.

During discussion on the topic, Frank Boulineau, who runs local grocery store Boulineau’s, said his company is not able to get the paper bags they usually get because they are just not available. But he said they have given out 200,000 reusable bags last year.

He said part of the problem comes from tourists not knowing they should bring their own bag into the store.

“I would like to see at least six months [to get ready], so we can get rid of the supply we have. We have to buy plastic bags by the millions at a time. A paper bag costs, actually, five times what a plastic bag costs.”

Gerry Ferguson said she understands the concerns of businesses but thinks the city should keep the Jan. 1 date for the ban.

“During this pandemic, we have had a great increase in curbside pickup, in door deliveries and takeouts, and there has been a proliferation of plastic bags because of that,” Ferguson said. “ I’m sure the earth is choking on it, and the landfills are choking on it.”

Councilman J.O. Baldwin said he didn’t want to delay the ban, but he maintained he is also sympathetic to the lack of supplies.

“We got an issue with the supply chain,” he said. “There’s no doubt about it. There are certain things we cannot get.”

Bubba Collins agreed that the city should move forward with the ban as is.

“I think we can start with citizens using reusable bags now,” he said. “That’s something we could’ve been doing a year ago. I’m new, so I don’t really like delaying it.”

Mayor Marilyn Hatley suggested forming a committee to help businesses with the transition.

The law, which was adopted in 2019, was initially set to go into effect at the start of 2021. Officials previously said the decision to halt the ban would provide economic relief to businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The original draft of the ordinance called for the ban to be pushed to 2023, but officials agreed one year was enough time for businesses to recover.

This story was originally published November 16, 2021 at 2:30 PM.