Styrofoam Ban Underway

Food service providers in Long Beach that use Styrofoam will have to stop and switch to a “greener” alternative in the future.

The Long Beach City Council passed an ordinance that will prohibit “the use of single-use food and beverage containers made of expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam, rigid polystyrene #6, and non-recyclable and non-compostable material for prepared food distribution.”

Expanded polystyrene, generically referred to as Styrofoam, can take several hundred years or longer to breakdown, according to reports. Animals can eat the material thinking its food and suffer health consequences. The wildlife, environment, and ultimately humans, are negatively affected by the pollution.

First District Councilwoman Lena Gonzalez spearheaded the more recent council topic but previous council members and public officials have tackled the issue as well.

Many members of the public spoke out in support of banning the plastic material, including Captain Charles Moore, who stumbled across “the Great Pacific Garbage Patch” more than 20 years ago while taking a short cut through the North Pacific Gyre. He has since raised awareness about plastic pollution.

“At that time I felt that it was becoming ubiquitous, this material that doesn’t degrade, that defeats natural decay,” he said. “Only we humans make things that nature can’t digest. And plastic is the main object that we make that nature can’t digest.”

Some citizens expressed concern over the ordinance’s effect on restaurant businesses.

Mayor Robert Garcia said he fully supports the ordinance and that it’s important for large cities to set a precedent. For example, Long Beach in 2011 banned single-use plastic bags and then two years later the State of California prohibited them, he said.

“It is important for big cities to take initiative on issues that affect the environment so deeply, which is why I believe it’s so important for Long Beach to do the same thing on this issue,” he said.

“We can’t expect as a community, to ask our neighbors to not put their runoff and their pollution into the river if we’re not willing to step up ourselves and eliminate from our own community the single source of pollution that we have in our river and into our coastline, which is polystyrene and Styrofoam products,” he added.

Council members voted unanimously in favor of the ban with Sixth District Councilman Dee Andrews unable to attend that day.

The polystyrene topic has been studied extensively by city staff prior to the vote. Additionally, a study session to look at the impacts of small businesses will take place concurrently. The City Council can make amendments later when the study is completed, but this would need to be done prior to the 18-month kick-in.

Though the City Council passed the ordinance April 17, it will not go into effect until after a required second reading of it on May 1, Deputy City Attorney Amy Webber told the Beachcomber through email.

Then with the mayor’s signature, the roll-out for the law will begin a month later, or June 1.

City facilities will be the first to comply within three months. The ordinance defines “city facility” as “any building, structure, property, park or open space owned, managed or leased by the city, its agents, agencies, or departments.” It lists the Queen Mary, the Convention Center, the Aquarium of the Pacific and the Long Beach Airport as examples of a city facility.

Then large food providers, or restaurants with more than 100 seats, and franchises, must comply within nine months.

Small food providers with less than 100 seats have 18 months to transition.

Exceptions for businesses can be granted on a case-by-case basis.

“The ordinance prohibits the sale or distribution of prepared food or beverages in any food service ware made of EPS foam, rigid polystyrene #6 and non-recyclable and non-compostable material in the City of Long Beach,” Webber said.

“The ban does not apply to food prepared or packaged outside of the city, provided such food is not altered or repackaged within the city. The ban does not apply to raw, uncooked meat, poultry, fish or eggs, unless provided for consumption without further food preparation, nor to fresh produce provided for consumption without food preparation or repackaging,” she added.

While dining, plastic straws can be made available upon request but not given automatically.

Some at the council meeting said they hope restaurant patrons will start bringing their own “doggy bags” or Tupperware containers to take food home in.

Meanwhile, when purchasing vacuum cleaners, kitchen appliances, televisions and the like, manufacturers often package products with Styrofoam to prevent damage to the merchandise. And mail-order packages sometimes arrive with polystyrene “peanuts” to protect the item being mailed.

Asked if the ordinance would cover these types of Styrofoam, Webber responded, “Not currently. However, the ordinance will ban retail sales of polystyrene ice chests, polystyrene bean bags and polystyrene craft materials eighteen months after ordinance adoption.”

kirt@beachcomber.news