Meeting Date: April 16, 2025
To: Members of the Environmental Quality Commission
From: Risi Karim, Assistant to the City Administrator
Title
Zero Waste Plan Implementation: Single Use Carryout Bag Fee Initiative
Body
Action Requested:
Commission asked to review survey questions and provide feedback
Summary Report:
As part of the ongoing efforts to implement the Zero Waste Plan, the subcommittee, consisting of Chair Michael Provancha, Commissioner George Kinney, and Student Commissioner Ava Podracky, has been actively working on Work Plan Initiative #1: Single Use Carryout Bag Fee Ordinance to City Council for consideration by the end of 2025.
The subcommittee, along with city staff, has been collaborating closely with local zero waste advocates to move this initiative forward. Key contributors in this effort include:
Matt Rohn
Carla Hansen
Janet Mitchell
Kim Haroldson
Nancy Sparby
This group has met several times over the past few months to discuss various components of the initiative, including:
* Survey Questions: Developing questions for both businesses and residents to gauge community opinions on the proposed fee.
* Timeline: Establishing a clear timeline to ensure progress toward the ordinance by the end of 2025.
* Engagement Strategy: Creating an engagement calendar that outlines plans for public outreach, tabling events, and other forms of community engagement.
The group has also engaged with the City's Communications Team to discuss how to effectively communicate the initiative and solicit community feedback.
A draft of the survey questions for both businesses and residents was provided to city staff on Monday, April 7th. These questions were developed by the subcommittee to assess community support and understand concerns related to the proposed single-use carryout bag fee. After staff review and refinement of the draft questions, the attached survey questions have been approved for use.
Next Steps:
* The community survey has a tentative la...
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