HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 02/11/2020 - MITGATING PLASTICS POLLUTIONDATE:
STAFF:
February 11, 2020
Molly Saylor, Senior Sustainability Specialist
Richard Thorp, Lead Specialist, Utilities Watershed
Program
WORK SESSION ITEM
City Council
SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION
Mitigating Plastics Pollution.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of this item is to share existing best practice research and to propose taking a comprehensive
approach to mitigating single-use (macroplastic) pollution, while continuing to study microplastic pollution.
GENERAL DIRECTION SOUGHT AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED
Macroplastics pollution
1. Do Councilmembers support a comprehensive policy and engagement approach to reducing plastic pollution?
2. Does Council have a preference on an initial focus area (e.g., plastic bags, straws, take-out containers)?
Microplastics pollution
3. Do Councilmembers have input on staff’s approach to addressing microplastics?
BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION
City Council has identified plastics pollution as a priority concern for the City to mitigate, which aligns with the
community’s Road to Zero Waste goal to produce zero waste by 2030 and its goal to sustain and improve the
health of the Cache la Poudre River and its watershed.
Waste Reduction Context
In Fort Collins, plastic makes up around 10% of what is landfilled as “municipal solid waste”. With a community
vision of producing zero waste by 2030, mitigating plastic pollution will be a necessary component of achieving
this goal.
River Health Context
A healthy Poudre River and surrounding watershed provides innumerable benefits to the Fort Collins community,
some of which include reliable, high quality water supply; flood attenuation and protection; recreation, health and
wellness opportunities; healthy plant communities and habitat for fish and wildlife. Accordingly, the City invests
considerable resources each year to ensure that the health of Poudre River is maintained and whenever possible,
improved. Plastic pollution has the potential to negatively impact all these beneficial functions, whereas
conversely, mitigating the problem supports and potentially even enhances outcomes in these areas.
Overview of Micro and Macroplastic Pollution Sources and Pathways
Practitioner knowledge about micro- and macroplastics differs. While the former is still a relatively new area, more
is known about how to measure, track, and mitigate macroplastic pollution.
February 11, 2020 Page 2
Microplastics
Microplastics are small plastic particles that are less than 5 millimeters in size and can include both visible and
microscopic particles and fibers. Microplastics include particles that are either intentionally manufactured at very
small sizes for the production of other plastic products or particles that form when larger plastic materials break
down and fragment into progressively smaller pieces. These plastics originate from a variety of sources, including
car tires, road markings, litter, personal care products, synthetic textiles and clothing, among others. The
pathways for these materials to enter the environment include domestic and industrial disposal via the wastewater
collection system and subsequent discharge of treated wastewater, stormwater runoff from the urban landscape,
and improper disposal. Once these materials enter aquatic and terrestrial environments, they present hazards to
fish, wildlife and potentially even humans, through ingestion and/or chemical exposure.
While the ubiquity of microplastics in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems is well recognized, there is much less
information available about effective methods for identifying, monitoring and mitigating microplastics pollution. As
a result, the City is currently limited in its ability to develop targeted action plans around this issue.
To begin addressing this knowledge gap, Utilities provided funding in 2019 towards a microplastics study of the
South Platte River Basin that was designed to identify sampling and analytical methods that are well-suited for
Rocky Mountain streams. The study is a cooperative effort between Inland Ocean Coalition and the University of
Colorado-Boulder. Utilities supporting funds for this project came from the Utilities Watershed Program
operational budget and enabled the inclusion of two new study sites on the Poudre River.
Additionally, through the 2019 mid-cycle budget revision process, Council funded $35,000 for the purpose of
conducting a scientific review focused on (1) analytical and sampling methods for monitoring microplastics; and
(2) control technologies and industry best practices for mitigating microplastics pollution during the treatment of
drinking water, wastewater and stormwater.
Macroplastics
Macroplastics are plastic particles (or products) larger than 5mm, including but not limited to single-use plastic
items such as grocery bags, cups, take-out containers, etc. While some plastic is actively littered, many single-
use plastic items enter the environment inadvertently. As depicted in the graphic below, winds can gust
lightweight plastic items out of receptacles (or garbage trucks or landfills) and into the surrounding area. From
there, storm events move plastic items into natural areas and local waterways. Once in natural areas and
waterways, they may persist for hundreds of years, degrading into microplastics and at risk of being ingested by
wildlife.
Global markets and impacts
Global markets for recyclable materials have suffered due to sweeping nationwide policy changes in China that
halted the import of U.S. recycling commodities, including plastic materials. As the largest end-market for U.S.
recycled plastics, this change has dramatically impacted cities’ ability to maintain recycling for some types of low-
grade plastic.
Single-use items, including those made from low-grade plastic, often have a higher environmental impact than the
same items made from sturdier materials that can withstand reuse (for example, durable plastic bags or utensils).
While the environmental “payback” period may be longer for reusable items, they reduce environmental impacts
along the supply chain, as well as locally.
February 11, 2020 Page 3
Regional Wasteshed Coalition
Fort Collins, Larimer County, Loveland, Estes Park, and Wellington have collaborated since 2015 to plan for
waste, recycling, and composting infrastructure once the Larimer County landfill reaches capacity. Waste-to-
Energy (WTE), a technical process that converts materials, such as plastic, into energy through a combustion
process, was identified as a Tier II recommendation. After Tier I recommendations have been implemented, the
coalition will evaluate how waste-to-energy could recover single-use plastic items that cannot be recycled. The
Regional Wasteshed Coalition’s Policy Advisory Committee is scheduled to re-assess Tier 2 recommendations
(including waste to energy) in Q4 of 2020.
Past Council Actions
In 2014, City Council passed a single-use bag policy requiring grocers to charge a 10-cent fee on plastic and
paper bags. Under this ordinance, grocers retained the fee with 50% being directed to the purchase and
distribution of free durable bags for customers. This ordinance was repealed later in 2014 in response to the
concerns of community members opposing restrictions on single-use bags.
Best Practice Approaches to Mitigating Single-Use Plastic Pollution
Measures to reduce plastic pollution range in mitigation potential, for example, awareness about littering or
recycling plastic items (Attachment 1) may not have the same efficacy as options that reduce consumption of
plastic in the first place. Many cities have embraced the “reduce” philosophy in order to disrupt the pathway
described above. By reducing the consumption of single-use items, environmental impacts along the supply chain
are also addressed. To understand nationwide best practices, staff engaged a Colorado consulting firm Ecocycle
to speak with program managers across the U.S. about their plastic policies. Based on this research, some
common mechanisms to reduce single-use plastics include:
• Banning items
• Enacting fees on items
• Restricting certain items and/or in certain situations
o e.g., making accessory items like utensils available upon request only
• Awareness (generally paired with another measure to increase efficacy)
Some cities have targeted efforts to reduce single-use plastic as a whole category instead of enacting stand-alone
policies that target individual plastic items (e.g., straws, bags, etc.). This comprehensive approach looks across
multiple single-use plastic items and bundles of policies that, together, create a larger mitigation strategy to be
implemented over time (multiple years). Creating a roadmap means impacted businesses and groups in the
community know what to expect, can use up existing stocks, and have time to identify replacement items.
Comprehensive approaches also allow time for the community to adjust to changes and learn from each policy
component.
February 11, 2020 Page 4
Cities with Comprehensive Approaches
Attachment 2 lists peer cities, Colorado cities, and other U.S. cities that have acted on single-use plastics.
Attachment 3 provides a case study of Palo Alto’s policy work to mitigate plastic pollution.
Current Actions - Plastic awareness campaign, data collection, and stakeholder engagement
Through the 2019 mid-cycle budget revision process, Council funded $35,000 for an awareness and outreach
campaign on plastic pollution, covering both macro and microplastics (separate from the $35,000 funded for
scientific review on microplastics). The campaign will launch in Q2 and raise awareness on why single-use plastic
items (macroplastics) are damaging to the environment, how they get there, and how they may eventually
become microplastics. It will also encourage residents to:
• Reduce their use of single-use plastic items by declining items when they are offered and un-necessary
• Bring their own reusable items
• Correctly dispose of plastic items when they can’t be avoided.
The campaign will also have a business component that is currently under development.
In order to further raise awareness about the problem, the campaign will provide opportunities for the community
to take action by:
1. Removing plastic litter from the environment using the Litterati app
Litterati <https://www.litterati.org/about> is an app that allows community members to photograph, tag, and
geocode litter before disposing of it. Over 100,000 users in 117 countries have used this app to remove litter
from their surrounding areas. In a collaboration between Sustainability Services, Natural Areas, and Human
Resources, volunteers will be directed to download the app for City-led cleanups. The broader community will
also be invited to participate in challenges.
An additional benefit of Litterati is its ability to provide staff with data on:
• Ratio of plastic to other materials
• Percentage of specific types of plastic relative to all plastic found
• Whether these data points are influenced by location
February 11, 2020 Page 5
2. Providing input on what the City should do to mitigate single-use plastic pollution in Fort Collins.
Outreach will include opportunities for community members to share thoughts, as well as engage key
stakeholders on a more targeted basis (e.g., the accessibility community and straws), acknowledging that this
is a communitywide issue and that certain groups and businesses may be disproportionately impacted.
Initial list of stakeholder categories (Subject to refinement based on Council direction)
- Residents
- Members of the accessibility community who must regularly use single use plastics
- Historically underrepresented community groups, residents, and business owners
- Local businesses (restaurants, grocery stores, retail stores, etc.) who provide single use plastics
to their customers or otherwise rely on them to do business
- Local businesses who manage single use plastic waste or who use it as a raw material
- Local business associations and chambers of commerce
- Local producers and suppliers of single use plastics (for example, wholesale suppliers of single
use plastics)
- Local nature, environment, and sustainability focused advocacy groups
- Organizations directly involved in litter clean up
- City departments
Key Takeaways
Staff’s evaluation of peer, Colorado, and U.S. cities has led to the identification of best practices that Fort Collins
could build upon, if Council desires to move forward. Key learnings from staff’s review of other cities actions and
best practices are:
• Take a comprehensive approach that includes multiple items (e.g., individual type of plastic products),
allowing the community to know what to expect, use up existing stocks, and have time to identify replacement
items.
• Phase policy-development and implementation over time (multiple years).
• Move toward reusables and away from disposables.
• Thoughtfully engage stakeholders, including groups and businesses that will be impacted by policy measures.
Fort Collins is in a strong position of having some of the key characteristics of successful cities, including well-
founded policies based on community vision and goals (Zero Waste, Climate Action Plan), as well as
collaboration through regional wasteshed planning.
Next Steps
• Gather community and stakeholder input
• Launch plastics awareness campaign and collect data (midcycle offer)
o Gather community and stakeholder input
• Regional Wasteshed Coalition’s Policy Advisory Committee is scheduled to reassess Tier 2 recommendations
(including waste to energy) in Q4 of 2020.
• June 9, 2020 City Council work session.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Types of Single-Use Plastic Items (PDF)
2. List of Cities taking action (PDF)
3. Comprehensive Approach Case Study-Palo Alto (PDF)
4. Powerpoint presentation (PDF)
1
Types of Single-Use Plastic Items
Types of Single-Use Plastics
The broader category of single-use plastic includes a wide-range of items, from cigarette butts and
sanitary wipes to plastic bags and straws. The items listed below are those most commonly addressed
by municipal plastic policies.
Carry-out bags: Bags made of thin, flexible plastic designed to transport purchases
Polystyrene: Plastic foam take-out coffee cups, plates, and containers.
Foodware: Plastic plates, cups, and utensils.
Accessory items: Lids, utensils, straws, stirrers, etc.
ATTACHMENT 1
1
Who is Taking Action?
Key: X = has taken action, P = planning to take action, C = comprehensive approach, R = repealed
Peer City Carry-out
bags
Polystyrene food
containers Accessory items Food serviceware
Fort Collins, CO R
Palo Alto, CA C C C P
Santa Barbara, CA X X X
Santa Rosa, CA X X
Portland, ME X X
Eugene, OR X X
Boulder, CO X
Tacoma, WA X
Colorado City
Denver, CO X
Boulder, CO X
Avon, CO X P
Telluride X
Aspen X
Carbondale X
Breckenridge X
Fraser X
Frisco X
Vail X
Nederland X
Crested Butte X
Avon X
Ridgeway X
Steamboat Springs X
Winter Park X
Sample U.S. Cities - Not Comprehensive
Seattle, WA C C C C
Berkeley, CA C C C C
Albuquerque, NM X
Austin, TX X
San Francisco, CA X X
Baltimore, MD X
New York City, NY X
Davis, CA X X
Berkeley, CA X X
ATTACHMENT 2
1
Comprehensive Approach Case Study – Palo Alto
Population: 66,666
Disposable Bag Policy (2008)
The City of Palo Alto began addressing single-use plastics in 2008 with the adoption of its Retail and
Food Service Establishment Checkout Bag Requirements Ordinance which banned the distribution of
single-use plastic carry-out bags from grocery stores. After subsequent creek cleanup events showed
that plastic bags were still prevalent in local creeks and on streets, the policy was updated in 2013 to
include all retailers and food service establishments. The updated ordinance also required a 10-cent fee
on all paper and reusable bags that were distributed to deter the use of single-use paper bags. In 2019,
the policy was updated again to ban the distribution of single-use plastic bags for produce, meat, and
bulk food bags and require these bags to be certified compostable (paper or bioplastic). The city’s policy
is now one of the most comprehensive in the country because it affects many different business types,
including all retailers and food service establishments, and many different types of single-use plastic
bags, including carry-out bags as well as meat, produce and bulk food bags.
Key drivers for success
• Other local policies: Palo Alto’s plastic bag ban followed in the footsteps of other California
cities including San Francisco and Santa Monica.
• Store leadership: Three of the city’s seven supermarkets had stopped distributing plastic bags as
the city was exploring the policy.
• Community support: Public and City Council supported exploring policy options. Local
nonprofits dedicated to the reduction of plastic pollution were helpful in garnering community
support.
Effectiveness at meeting local goals
• City data from creek cleanups showed a 90% reduction in the amount of plastic bags in the
creeks after ordinance went into effect.
• Compliance checks conducted by the city after implementation in 2008 found that over 90% of
businesses complied with the policy. Future compliance checks will be conducted through the
ATTACHMENT 3
2
Zero Waste group and will be scheduled after the next phase of the ordinance goes into effect in
January 2020.
• Through a survey, Palo Alto saw a sharp decline in plastic bag use and an increase in the use of
reusable bags following its plastic bag ban. However, paper bag use increased immediately in
response to the plastic bag ban. Paper bag use sharply decreased once the city implemented a
fee on paper bags in 2013, and this led to a further increase in reusable bags and customers not
using any bags. From 2008-2015, overall plastic bag use has declined from over 50% of bags
used to zero, and over 75% of bag use is now reusable bags or no bag.
Significant challenges faced
• Opposition from plastics industry: The American Chemistry Council and Dart Container Corp.,
one of the largest manufacturers of polystyrene foam food containers, lobbied against the policy
and testified before the city council. The industry group SavethePlasticBag.com also threatened
the city with a lawsuit. The California Restaurant Association also closely echoed the concerns of
the plastic industry representatives.
• Fee: State law prohibits California cities from collecting a bag fee from retailers so retailers keep
the entire 10-cent fee on all paper or reusable checkout bags sold.
Disposable Foodware Policy (2019)
In 2019, Palo Alto adopted the Disposable Foodware Reduction Plan, which is a three-phase program
with the goal to eliminate the use of disposable foodware items and switch to reusable items in order to
protect local watersheds and oceans, reduce litter, encourage Zero Waste, and reduce contamination in
the composting program. The first phase of this plan was implemented in 2019 with the passage of the
Disposable Foodware Items and Other Disposable Products Ordinance, which banned single-use plastic
foodware accessory items including plastic straws, plastic utensils, plastic drink stirrers, plastic drink
plugs, plastic food and drink picks, plastic drink accoutrements, and plastic produce bags. Businesses are
required to provide only reusable or compostable alternatives, and these products must be offered only
upon request or via a self-serve station. The policy applies to any business in Palo Alto that serves food,
including restaurants, bars, delis, grocery stores, food trucks, hotels, convenience stores, and cafeterias.
Hospitals were exempted from the program.
The goal of the Disposable Foodware Reduction Plan:
• Reduce the amount of single-use, disposable foodware generated in Palo Alto
• Encourage the use of reusable foodware
• Ensure that single-use disposable items are either recycled or composted
The plan has a phased approach:
• Phase 1 – 2019: Disposable Foodware Items and Other Disposable Products Ordinance
o Bans single-use plastic foodware accessory items such as straws and stirrers.
3
o Requires compostable or reusable alternatives are offered only upon request or via a
self-serve station.
• Phase 2 – 2021
o Charge for disposable cups and containers
o Require reusable foodware for dine-in customers
o Require all new construction for food service establishments to install a dishwasher
• Phase 3 – 2025
o Ban all single-use disposable foodware for take-out
o Require all food service establishments to have one of the following services to support
reusable foodware:
Have a dishwasher on site
Sign-up for dishwasher service
Sign-up for reusable foodware service program
o Require reusable foodware for take-out, including allowing residents to bring their own
containers and/or implementing a citywide reusable food container rental/return
program (see p. 59 for current pilot programs)
Key drivers for success
• Mitigate environmental impact: Palo Alto has a strong history of support for reducing waste,
reducing the amount of plastics in oceans, decreasing litter in the community and reducing its
climate impact.
• Support for compostables in business survey: The city’s survey of food businesses found ⅓ of
food service establishments already utilized some form of compostable foodware and 52%
reported it would be easy to switch to compostable products.
• Local community partners: The city partnered with Girl Scouts and a local high school biology
class to conduct business surveys. Several nonprofits and community advocacy groups
submitted a letter of support to the city and encouraged the city to take bolder action. Local
stakeholders promoted not using plastic disposables and reducing use at local community
events (i.e. farmer’s market).
• ReThink Disposable proves success stories at local businesses: The city signed a 3-year contract
with ReThink, a technical assistance program provided by the City of Palo Alto Watershed
Protection and Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund. This program helps businesses,
institutions, governments, and consumers reduce waste and associated costs by targeting
disposable packaging items through outreach and education, and conducted local business case
studies to show waste reduction and cost savings.
Effectiveness at meeting local goals
• The ordinance is expected to reduce waste by 290 tons per year and save 470 tons of carbon
pollution once fully implemented.
• ReThink Disposables Report on how businesses in Palo Alto successfully reduced disposable
foodware showed the effectiveness of minimizing disposable foodware: 111 businesses were
4
recruited and provided with outreach materials; 14 businesses were ReThink certified and found
that 1,123,443 single-use foodware items were eliminated annually and had $32,023 combined
total annual net-savings.
Significant challenges faced
• Council members were concerned with the availability of compostable foodware items.
• Businesses were primarily concerned about the additional cost of compostable items, the
difficulty in finding replacements and that these products would still result in litter.
Supporting City Policies and Plans for Bags and Food Serviceware
• Palo Alto’s Bag Ordinance was adopted in 2008 to ban the distribution of single-use plastic bags
at grocery stores. This was updated in 2013 to require a 10-cent fee on paper and reusable bags
sold by the retailer, and to include all food service establishments. (There is no charge for
customers to bring their own bags. However, retailers cannot provide reusable bags for free and
must charge a minimum fee on any bags sold to the customer in order to reduce the distribution
of any free bags of any type.) In 2019, the ordinance was updated again to include produce,
meat, and bulk food bags, and require them to be reusable or certified compostable.
• The Expanded Polystyrene and Non-Recyclable Food Service Containers Ordinance was adopted
in 2009 and updated in 2016. The policy prohibits foodservice and retail establishments from
distributing prepared food in plastic foam or other non-recyclable plastic food service
containers.
o City facilities and events are prohibited from using disposable food service containers
made from plastic foam or non-recyclable plastic.
• In 2017, guidelines were updated to prohibit city staff from using Petty Cash and procurement
cards to purchase polystyrene products, bottled water, and other plastic products.
• The 2018 City of Palo Alto Zero Waste Plan has a goal of 95% waste diversion by 2030.
• The Disposable Foodware Reduction Plan was put together in 2018 by the Zero Waste Group,
which is a roadmap for the city to switch from disposable foodware items to reusable foodware.
• The Disposable Foodware Items and Other Disposable Products Ordinance was adopted in 2019,
banning plastic: straws, utensils, stirrers, beverage plugs, and produce bags. Alternative
products must be compostable and can only be provided upon request or at a self-serve station.
• The Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit requires the city to eliminate storm drain litter by
2022.
1
Mitigating Plastics Pollution
Molly Saylor and Richard Thorp
2-11-2020
ATTACHMENT 4
Questions to Council
Macroplastics pollution
1. Do Councilmembers support a comprehensive policy and engagement
approach to reducing plastic pollution?
2. Do Councilmembers have a preference on an initial focus area?
(such as plastic bags, straws, take-out containers)
Microplastics pollution
3. Do Councilmembers have input on staff’s approach to addressing
microplastics?
2
STRATEGIC
ALIGNMENT
Environmental Health
• 4.4 Zero waste
• 4.9 Poudre River health
BUDGET
Midcycle funding
• $35K each for
macroplastics and
microplastics
Plastics Pollution
3
COUNCIL
PRIORITY
Plastics Pollution
• Microplastics
• Macroplastics
Approximately 10% of Fort Collins’ municipal solid waste is plastic
State of Science and Policy
4
• Knowledge of pollution pathways
• Ability to quantify and monitor
• Efficacy of mitigation options
Less information More information
Microplastics Macroplastics
Plastic particles
less than 5mm
Plastic particles
greater than 5mm
Microplastics: What are they?
Primary – manufactured at a size less than 5mm
• Examples: microfibers, microbeads, pellets or “nurdles”
Secondary – break down into micro-particles
• Examples: water and soda bottles, fishing nets, and plastic bags
5
Fleece fibers
Resin pellets / “nurdles”
Plastic bag fragments
6
Paint /
Coatings
Litter
Sources of
Microplastics
Synthetic
textiles &
clothing
Personal Care
Products
(microbeads)
Car Tires /
Brake Dust
Road Markings
Pellets /
manufactured
plastics
Atmospheric
Deposition
Artificial turf
Current & Proposed Future Actions
7
2019 Rocky Mountain microplastics survey phase II: Methodology Study
• Utilities Watershed Program funded two sites on Poudre River
• Study led by Inland Ocean Coalition & University of Colorado, Boulder
Past Project
Current Project
Assess current state of the science on microplastics, with focus on:
• Analytical & monitoring methods - source identification and monitoring
• Control technologies - drinking water, wastewater, stormwater
Macroplastic Pollution Pathways
8
Mitigation Options
9
Mitigation options Challenges
Anti-littering awareness Not primary pathway
Waste-to-Energy Risk of blowing out of bin
Recyclable replacements Risk of blowing out of bin
Compostable replacements Wildlife risk & contamination
Mitigation Options
10
Mitigation options Benefits
Fees on items
Avoid plastic items entering
the environment
Avoid supply chain impacts
Ban items/require reusables
Ban/fee hybrids
Item-specific restrictions
Types of Plastic Items
11
Carry-out bags Polystyrene
(Styrofoam)
Foodware Accessory items
Carry-Out Bags
What is it?
Bags made of thin, flexible plastic designed to
transport purchases
Mitigation options:
• Fees
• Bans
• Fee/ban hybrid
Peer cities: Santa Barbara CA, Palo Alto CA,
Eugene OR, Portland ME, Santa Rosa CA, Tacoma,
WA
12
Carry-Out Bags
Fort Collins context:
Bag Policy 2014: 10-cent fee on plastic
and paper bags at grocery stores
• Grocers retained fee; 50% for free
durable bags to customers
• Repealed in 2014 before
implementation
Current Efforts: Awareness; plastic film
recycling at TRC, grocers and box stores
13
Polystyrene Food Containers
What is it?
Plastic foam take-out coffee cups and
containers.
Mitigation options:
• Fees
• Bans
• Restrictions
• Dine-in only
Peer cities: Santa Barbara CA, Palo Alto CA,
Eugene OR, Portland ME, Santa Rosa CA
14
Food Serviceware and Accessory Items
What is it?
Plastic plates, cups, lids, utensils, straws,
stirrers, etc.
Mitigation options:
• Fees
• Bans
• Restrictions
• Self-service stations; upon request
Peer cities: Palo Alto CA, Santa Barbara CA
15
Peer Communities
16
Palo Alto, CA
Santa Barbara, CA
Santa Rosa, CA
Portland, ME
Eugene, OR
Boulder, CO
Tacoma, WA
Denver, CO
Best Practices
17
Successful approaches:
• Comprehensive strategy with multiple policies
• Policy development and implementation over multiple years
• Move away from disposables and toward reusables
• Extensive stakeholder outreach
Stakeholder Outreach
Considerations
• Who should be engaged depends on item
• Insight from other cities
• Alignment with stakeholder goals
Examples of stakeholder types
• Accessibility community (need items due to disability)
• Local businesses that provide/sell/distribute single-use items
• Local businesses that recycle plastic
18
Next Steps
• Gather community and stakeholder input
• Launch plastics awareness campaign and collect data
• Continue supporting legislation to facilitate local action
• June 9th Council work session, single-use plastics update
• Regional Wasteshed: Policy Advisory Committee meeting on Tier 2
recommendations (including waste to energy) - in Q4 of 2020
• Microplastics study completion in Q3 2020
19
Questions to Council
Macroplastics pollution
1. Do Councilmembers support a comprehensive policy and engagement
approach to reducing plastic pollution?
2. Do Councilmembers have a preference on an initial focus area?
(such as plastic bags, straws, take-out containers)
Microplastics pollution
3. Do Councilmembers have input on staff’s approach to addressing
microplastics?
20
Types of Plastic Items
21
Carry-out bags Styrofoam Foodware Accessory items
Case Study - Palo Alto
22
Palo Alto,
CA
Plastic
bags
(2008)
Accessory
items
(2019)
Disposable
containers
(2021)
Take-out
containers
(2025)
• Disposable Foodware Reduction Plan
• Reduce single-use
• Encourage reusable
Sample Project Timeline
23
OCT
NOV
DEC
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
RESEARCH
MICRO Sampling, Analysis & Control
Technology
MACRO Policy Best
Practices Data Collection
POLICY
OUTREACH B&C B&C, Public &
Stakeholders
B&C, Public &
Stakeholders
AWARENESS Awareness
RECOMMENDATIONS
WORK SESSION