TITLE
Recommendation to request City Attorney to amend the Polystyrene Food Packaging ordinance in the Long Beach Municipal Code (Chapter 8.63) to remove the exemption for #6 plastic lids to encourage a transition to recyclable alternatives; include language that all straws be made available only upon request in any food establishment and that those straws must not be plastic or bio-plastic; and
Request City Manager to work with Public Works Environmental Services Bureau and other appropriate departments to align implementation of these amendments with Phase 3 of the Expanded Polystyrene Ordinance, on December 3, 2019.
DISCUSSION
In 2018, the City of Long Beach began an Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) ordinance with an 18-month phased implementation plan. Following the first stage of implementation which included all City facilities, we are now in the second phase requiring restaurants seating more than 101 persons to become foam-free. The final stage will be effective December 3, 2019, will apply to all restaurants in the city. The program has been very successful, and there are already more than 60 local businesses who have become foam free prior to the final stage. It also has encouraged broader public outreach and education programs, including Bring Your Own LBC.
This Council recommendation requests two amendments to the existing EPS ordinance to address limitations of the current program. First, the ordinance as written permits #6 coffee lids as an exception to the prohibited packaging. Yet these lids are not recyclable and there are readily available alternatives that present virtually no additional cost to business owners. By eliminating this exception, the City can more effectively encourage a transition to recyclable or reusable alternative lids.
The second proposed amendment is to make all straws available only upon request in any food establishment and mandate that those straws requested are not made of plastic or bio-plastic. Currently, the City's EPS...
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