Transition from plastic to burlap bags ahead of winter storm season

MONTECITO, CA – Ahead of the 2023/2024 rain season, Montecito Fire Protection District will transition from providing plastic bags to burlap bags at the Lower Manning Park sandbag filling station. This environmentally conscious change is made possible through a partnership between the Montecito Fire Protection District’s Board of Directors and local, non-profit organization Heal the Ocean.

Montecito Fire provides a sandbag filling station in anticipation of rain events at Lower Manning Park to assist community members with preparing their properties for potential flooding impacts. However, the use of plastic bags for filling sandbags poses hazards to the environment.

Following the 2022/2023 rain season, the Montecito Fire Protection District Board of Directors requested that future activations of the sandbag filling station be supplied with burlap bags and to discontinue use of plastic bags once the stock of them is exhausted. 

The change from plastic to burlap will cost the Montecito Fire Protection District about $1 more per bag. Local non-profit Heal the Ocean generously offered to reimburse the Montecito Fire Protection District for the first 3,000 burlap bags as part of the organization’s longstanding efforts to reduce pollution along the Santa Barbara County coastline.

“As the community’s fire department, our mission to protect life, property and the environment, so while it may seem like a small change, the switch from plastic to burlap is very much in alignment with our commitment to Montecito,” said Fire Chief David Neels. “We’re grateful to our environmentally responsible Board of Directors for initiating this change and to Heal the Ocean for kindly helping to offset the cost with this initial purchase.” 

Going forward, Montecito Fire Protection District will fund the purchase of burlap bags as a permanent commitment to being environmentally responsible.

About Heal the Ocean: Heal the Ocean is a 501(c)3 non-profit that focuses on wastewater infrastructure – sewers and septic systems – as well as ocean dumping practices that have contributed to ocean pollution. We are focused on Santa Barbara County, but our methods are now serving as a model for other coastal communities across the country.