Folly Beach Goes Green – Media Release

Media Release:  Folly Beach Goes Green

City Council  votes ‘yes’ to a mandate banning items that pose a threat to the environment

Folly Beach, SC – Tuesday, October 19th, Folly Beach made history when City Council passed a new ordinance banning specific items that raise a potential risk to the environment and its inhabitants. Beachgoers will no longer be allowed to bring plastic bags or Styrofoam coolers, among other items, onto the beach. The ordinance also bans Folly Beach businesses from distributing these items to their customers.

This is a historic move for Folly and South Carolina. While similar ordinances exist nationally, Folly is one of few beach communities to take the extra step in preserving the waterways. For the next few months, Folly will work toward educating the public and local businesses about the new laws.

“Folly Beach is a close community and our businesses are an integral part of that community. As a result we decided to be proactive in the way our businesses impact this Island. We saw the damage that non-recyclable plastic bags and Styrofoam were inflicting on our most valuable assets, the beach and ocean.  We saw that harm and decided to make a change. Folly Beach’s Businesses are committed to protecting these assets and being good stewards of the beach and ocean. We hope that this is the first step of many for a more sustainable way on life,” said Lewis Dodson, President of the Folly Association of Business.

“This is just one small step for the health of the environment.  Our ocean and our ocean life are the most important pieces of what makes Folly so special, and we have to do our part to preserve our piece of paradise,” said Tim Goodwin, Mayor of the City of Folly Beach.

Passing the ordinances, originally proposed by Councilman DJ Rich, required a joint effort from The Folly Beach City Council, local businesses, and also several research entities who measured the impact of these materials on local wildlife. It was concluded that the plastic and Styrofoam items were severely tarnishing the sea and land environment as a whole and it was in great interest of the community to make a positive change.

The new ordinance will take effect on January 1, 2017.

For more information about Folly Beach’s new ordinance and the items that are banned, please go to VisitFolly.com, find them on Facebook at Visit Folly or download the free ‘Visit Folly’ smart phone app.