Beaufort County group outlines plastics-reduction ordinance and countywide rollout plan

Keep Beaufort County Beautiful members reviewed a drafted county ordinance that would ban single-use plastic bags at retailers and food-service locations and prohibit Styrofoam food-service containers, and discussed how the county will coordinate outreach and a phased rollout.

Jean Zepel, representing District 7, said the draft ordinance would bar "plastic bags at, retailers and food" and noted that "it'll ban Styrofoam for food service. You can't get a Styrofoam cup anymore," describing an eight-month transition period for businesses and a conditional countywide effective date tied to municipal action. She told the group the ordinance will move from committee to full council, include three readings and a public hearing, and will only take effect countywide if the four municipalities adopt the measure or similar versions.

The steering team has met for roughly eight months and includes planning staff (Juliana Zadeh) and local nonprofits such as the Port Royal Sound Foundation and Coastal Foundation, which will help with business outreach and communications. Zepel emphasized that official notifications will come from the county once the council adopts the ordinance; KBCB volunteers and partners would then assist with direct engagement to help small businesses transition.

Attendees discussed practical support for retailers: outreach kits and a bulk-purchasing consortium were proposed to lower the cost of compostable or paper containers for small businesses. An executive director from a local outdoor outfitter said wholesaler US Foods has expressed interest in supplying bulk, lower-cost alternatives to small restaurants and retailers on Hilton Head Island as a pilot before potential countywide expansion.

The group also reviewed an internal outreach timeline: a Beaufort City working session on Feb. 24, an NRC presentation in early April, and a first reading before council on April 27 with an aim to have municipal coordination in place by late May. Zepel said that if municipalities lag, the county ordinance's effective date would be synchronized to each municipality's adoption, after an approximate eight-month transition.

County code enforcement procedures were discussed as the primary local mechanism for violations, with an enforcement path that begins with warnings and escalates to fines and potential loss of business licenses. Organizers said the communications plan would include county email updates, local newspapers, social media, and direct outreach to businesses. KBCB agreed to take on active business engagement and education once the county issues official notices.

The committee agreed to continue planning with county staff and nonprofit partners and to use the coming weeks to finalize messaging and pilot small-business support options. The ordinance's next formal calendar steps were scheduled for committee consideration followed by full council readings and public hearing.