The Los Angeles Post

Hahn and Solis Aim to Support Small Businesses as County Phases Out Single-Use Plastics

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Los Angeles, CA – Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion by Supervisors Janice Hahn and Hilda Solis that will provide assistance to small businesses for the implementation of the Single-Use Plastic Ordinance in the County’s unincorporated areas. The Ordinance, which was also approved today, will require that all disposable food service ware such as containers, cups, dishes, and utensils provided with ready-to-eat food or food trays be either compostable or recyclable.

The assistance motion, authored by Supervisors Janice Hahn and Hilda Solis, directs County offices and agencies to provide small businesses with education and outreach in multiple languages, information about suppliers of compliant food ware items, and to study the feasibility of providing financial support to small business during their transition. It aims to help put small businesses in unincorporated areas of the County on a seamless path toward compliance once the Single-Use Plastics Ordinance goes into full effect in May of 2023.

“I believe this move away from single-use plastics is important, but it will only be successful if our businesses, especially our small businesses, have the support they need to implement it,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “Our small businesses are economic and cultural assets to our communities. I want to ensure that they have all the tools they need to make this transition away from plastic pollution. This should not be a burden for them.”

Unincorporated communities are home to more than one million residents, making the Single-Use Plastic Ordinance a consequential step in the fight against environmental degradation. Plastics make up a significant amount of the 30 million pounds of waste generated in LA County, and, when broken down, can enter human food systems. Preventing plastic pollution will require collaboration across the public and private sectors, an effort that Supervisors Hahn and Solis’s motion facilitates.

“Our communities are counting on us, now more than ever, to realize the goals of the OurCounty Sustainability Plan,” shared Supervisor Solis. “It is a Plan centered around equity and environmental justice and to that end, is critical that we deliver on its multifaceted approach. The adoption of the Reduction of Waste from Single-Use Articles & Expanded Polystyrene Products ordinance is a tremendous opportunity to reduce plastic service wear and the negative impacts of fossil fuels throughout the unincorporated communities of Los Angeles County.”

“This motion shows that the Board heard and responded to the needs of small businesses. Together, we will make the transition away from plastics as easy as possible,” said Gary Gero, LA County’s Chief Sustainability Officer. Gero’s office is one of the primary County bodies tasked with carrying out the provisions of the motion.

“Small businesses are key to keeping our neighborhoods vibrant, and they’ll now be key to our more sustainable future. This motion helps set them up to continue playing a vital role for LA County,” added Supervisor Hahn.