Save The Bay Blog

On January 1, Alameda County’s single use plastic bag ban goes into effect. The new law prohibits chain grocery stores and pharmacies from distributing plastic bags and requires retailers to charge a minimum of 10 cents for each paper or reusable bag given out. Our office is located in Oakland and many of our staffers [...]

Support for plastic bag bans is reaching a fever pitch in San Mateo County.  In the last two weeks, three San Mateo County cities have adopted the county’s bag ordinance – South San Francisco, Pacifica, and Belmont.  This regional effort, set in motion by San Mateo County Environmental Health, encompasses all of San Mateo Co. [...]

This week, we announced our 6th annual list of Bay Trash Hot Spots, creeks and shorelines that are so polluted they are in violation of the Clean Water Act. Check out the coverage below. As tens of thousands of volunteers prepare for tomorrow’s Coastal Cleanup Day, they may find tsunami debris and tiny plastic pellets [...]

In this week’s roundup, Minane Jameson of Hayward’s shoreline agency speaks out against Cargill’s Redwood City plans. Meanwhile, NOAA proposes expanding marine sanctuary to just outside the Golden Gate. A new EcoCenter brings another meaning to restoration along the Bay Trail in Palo Alto. In the North Bay, Sonoma County moves ahead with plastic bag [...]

In today’s Weekly Roundup, Cargill/DMB seek to avoid federal environmental protections after facing widespread opposition and rejection of their development plan by Redwood City.  Cargill/DMB are “just not listening or not liking the answers.” In other news, a recent study shows that wildlife refuges raise nearby property values. Plus, do you want to use less plastic? Beth [...]