{"id":55082,"date":"2022-12-06T16:10:26","date_gmt":"2022-12-07T00:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=55082"},"modified":"2022-12-06T16:10:26","modified_gmt":"2022-12-07T00:10:26","slug":"city-council-unanimously-votes-to-prohibit-styrofoam-plastic-bags-and-have-zero-waste-at-city-facilities-in-los-angeles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=55082","title":{"rendered":"City Council Unanimously Votes to Prohibit Styrofoam, Plastic Bags, and have \u201cZero Waste\u201d at City Facilities in Los Angeles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today\u2019s actions continue the groundbreaking environmental policies passed by the Los Angeles City Council<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Los Angeles, CA (December 06, 2022)\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 In a unanimous vote, the Los Angeles City Council today approved an ordinance that will prohibit the distribution and sale of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) products, commonly referred to under the trade name Styrofoam, in the City of Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI am pleased that we were able to advance yet another transformative environmental policy with unanimous support of the City Council,\u201d said Councilmember Mitch O\u2019Farrell, the chair of the Energy, Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and River committee. \u201cAngelenos want to be good stewards of the environment, and this legislation is reflective of that value \u2013 as well as the urgency with which it must be implemented. There is no place in the City of Los Angeles for harmful environmental products like Styrofoam, and with today\u2019s decisive action we are making that imperative a reality. I hope that future Councils, along with other jurisdictions across the country and the world, follow our lead on environmental justice and the elimination of products that degrade public health.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cOur world is drowning in plastic. To the point where, in any given week, each of us ingests enough plastic from our food and water to make a credit card,\u201d said Council President Paul Krekorian. \u00a0\u201cThe petrochemical industry is lying to the people of the United States by trying to convince them that somehow it\u2019s OK to use these products because they\u2019re recyclable. They\u2019re not. Almost no plastic ever gets recycled and styrofoam definitely does not.\u00a0 The steps that we\u2019re taking today are an important part of changing industries, changing consumer behavior and educating the public about the harm that this is causing them,\u201d\u00a0 Krekorian said.<\/p>\n

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“EPS foam, also known as Styrofoam, is toxic from production to usage to landfill. The Styrene and Benzene in EPS are both known carcinogens and can also negatively affect workers inside EPS factories. The manufacturing process can contaminate neighborhoods outside EPS factories. The toxins can leach into hot drinks and food as people use cups and food containers. And then EPS ends up as little white bits marring our world-class beaches,” said Councilmember Paul Koretz, the author of the original legislation. “Even worse, the manufacturing process releases significant amounts of hydrofluorocarbons, which are massively potent greenhouse gasses. It’s way past time for Styrofoam to go away forever.”<\/p>\n

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The Council also approved an additional ordinance that adds to the Los Angeles Municipal Code a section promoting the use of reusable bags and regulating the use of plastic and paper single-use carryout bags at apparel stores, farmers\u2019 markets, food or beverage facilities, hardware stores, and open air markets. In addition, the Council approved instructions to LA Sanitation and Environment (LASAN) requiring reports back to the Council, by April 2025, regarding compliance with these new policies. The Council also instructed LASAN to prepare outreach programs to educate stakeholders on both ordinances.<\/p>\n

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Additionally, the Council requested that all proprietary departments, along with their respective boards, adopt and implement the ordinance requiring \u201czero waste\u201d at City facilities and events, along with a direction to LASAN to prepare an outreach program and further instruction to all departments to report back on progress with this ordinance, which was passed earlier this year.<\/p>\n

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“LA Sanitation and Environment (LASAN) has a unique responsibility when it comes to protecting public health and the environment,” said Alex Helou, LASAN Assistant Director. “We do that through the hard work of collecting, recycling and composting materials, but also through the much less visible work of educating residents on what can and can\u2019t be recycled. Items like expanded polystyrene, plastic bags and single-use foodware accessories do not belong in the blue bin.”<\/p>\n

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\u201cFor more than 30 years, Heal the Bay has conducted thousands of cleanups, removing millions of pieces of plastic off of our beaches and out of our waterways. It is clear that cleanups will never solve the issue of plastic pollution. To truly protect public health, we need aggressive and responsible solutions like today’s unanimous vote by the Los Angeles City Council to ban polystyrene addressing upstream sources and slowing the production and sale of plastic products, said Tracy Quinn, President and CEO of Heal the Bay. “We commend Councilmembers Koretz, Krekorian, and O\u2019Farrell for their leadership on this issue and look forward to helping put these laws into effect in the new year.\u201d<\/p>\n

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