SAN RAFAEL (CBS SF/AP) — Marin County was set to roll out an ordinance banning plastic utensils and other foodware that is not reusable or biodegradeable.
The county Board of Supervisors was scheduled to introduce the draft ordinance Tuesday for consideration on the May 10 agenda. If approved, the enforcement would be phased in gradually to allow businesses time to adapt.
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The ordinance would only apply in unincorporated parts of the county while each municipality would be tasked with establishing its own policies on plastic foodware.
A number of cities across the Bay Area have banned single-use plastics at facilities that serve food. The ordinances require plates, cups, straws and utensils to be made out of natural-fiber material such as paper, sugarcane, bamboo or wood.
Food facilities will also have to regulate their use of disposable items like straws, stirrers, condiment packs, napkins and more. Under the ordinance, these should only be given to customers when requested or at a self-service area.
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In 2020, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors passed a single-use plastics ban for unincorporated areas of the county and since then, multiple Peninsula cities passed a similar ordinance.
In California, an initiative that would require state regulators to reduce plastic waste has qualified for the November 2022 ballot. If passed, the law would compel the state to take multiple steps to reduce plastic waste. Producers of single-use plastic packaging would be taxed, with the revenue allocated for recycling and environmental programs.
It is estimated that 12 million tons of plastic waste end up in the oceans each year and the flow is expected to triple by 2040. According to organizers of a 2021 Geneva environmental conference, nearly 5 billion tons of plastic produced since the early 1950s has ended up in either landfills or in the natural environment.
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Source: sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com.