Beaufort County could expand plastic bag ban to include more items. What to know

Beaufort County will consider expanding its rule banning thin, single-use plastic bags, aiming to address gaps left behind in the ordinance’s original version.

On April 6, the Natural Resource Committee advanced a revised plan to County Council, which includes banning all plastic carry out bags and disposable styrofoam food containers. Businesses will have to provide paper bags or reusable carry-out bags with handles that are stitched, not heat-sealed.

The revisions also limit the use of plastic straws and cutlery by making them only available upon request for patrons in local businesses.

Dissenting council member Mark Lawson described the new rules as an “overreach or overkill.” Tab Tabernik, who also voted no, voiced concerns about how the costs associated with changing packaging material for businesses will ultimately “be passed to the consumer.”

What the new plastic ban draft says

The new draft also creates specific exemptions to the rule, including any plastic or Styrofoam items necessary for businesses to adhere to state and federal food safety regulations. It allows for an 8-month minimum transition period if the new rules are adopted for local businesses to adjust.

These amendments will “help to improve the longevity of landfills, keep storm drains flowing and also help to reduce waste that’s entering the environment,” said Grant McClure, South Coast Office Director with the Coastal Conservation League.

The latest amendments come nearly two years after county staff was first asked to assess the bag ban following a failed effort to update the ordinance in 2024. The original ban, adopted in 2018, created a “loophole” for local businesses, which were still permitted to distribute thicker, reusable plastic bags under the rule.

“Plastic is a problem we have a solution to,” said Courtney Kimmel, Director of Conservation at the Port Royal Sound Foundation, during public comment. “We know how to stop it from going in (to the environment). That’s a matter of decision-making, which we have the opportunity to do today.”

The community’s thoughts on plastic regulations

Part of the county’s assessment included surveying how community members and businesses felt about regulating the five most commons single-use plastics: thick plastic bags, Styrofoam take-out containers, Styrofoam cups, plastic utensils and plastic straws.

More than 6,000 residents and 138 local businesses responded, and results showed the public supported banning thick plastic bags and Styrofoam take-out containers and cups. The public also supported making plastic straws and utensils by request only in local restaurants, the survey found.

The amendments will head to an upcoming Beaufort County Council meeting for the first of three readings. The county is collaborating with Hilton Head Island, Bluffton, Port Royal and Beaufort to make sure that there is a uniform mandate county-wide.

The City of Beaufort already passed the amended rules on first reading in March.

This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 1:56 PM.