Grand Strand leaders discussed working together to ban plastic bags on beaches across Horry County.
Mayors from several local cities, including Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, and North Myrtle Beach, and the Horry County Council Chair Mark Lazarus gathered for a Coastal Alliance meeting on Tuesday. They agreed banning plastic bags would help protect ocean wildlife, as well as the Horry County Solid Waste Authority, which has complained about plastic bags damaging machinery.
South Carolina lawmakers are currently considering legislation that would prevent local governments from banning plastic bags. However, Lazarus said, according to home rule, local leaders are warranted to implement the ban if they see fit. He also suggested collaborating to send lawmakers that message.
The Coastal Alliance agreed enforcing the plastic bag ban may be difficult, but considered placing signs on beaches, or tasking beach patrol officers with the task.
“I think that we’re going to have to be very careful if we ever got to a point where we banned plastic bags on the beaches on how we police that. We don’t want people to come here on vacation and feel like we’re hounding them,” said Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune.
Bethune, North Myrtle Beach Mayor Marilyn Hatley, and Lazarus said they will go back to their councils and discuss the issue further.
