TO: Mayor and Commissioners
FROM: Ana Puszkin-Chevlin, Sustainability Officer
THROUGH: Mark R. Lauzier, City Manager; India J. Adams, Asst. City Manager
DATE: February 5, 2019
Title
ORDINANCE NO. 10-19 PROHIBITION OF SINGLE-USE PLASTIC STRAWS (SECOND READING)
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Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Motion to approve Ordinance 10-19 placing prohibitions on the distribution of plastic straws.
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Background:
The detrimental environmental impact of single use plastic straws has received national attention. At least eleven US cities, and five in Florida have moved forward on ordinances that either limit their distribution or prohibit their use on public property, coastal areas or citywide. Some ordinance include other single-use plastics, such as plastic cutlery, polystrene containers and plastic bags, others focus just on straws.The latest cities to join have been Hallendale Beach, whose ordinance goes into effect on January 2019, and Deerfield Beach, whose ban goes into effect April 2019. The growing environmental movement motivated the State of California to advance legislation limiting plastic straw distribution statewide to patrons that request straws.
At the September 11th City Commission Workshop, staff presented recommendations to advance an ordinance that would for the first 18-months after passage, limit distribution of plastic straws by food service establishment only to patrons that request them, then after the 18-month transition period, prohibit food service establishments from providing plastic straws to patrons. Only reuseable straws, or straws made of marine-biodegradable material would be permitted. The proposed ordinance would apply citywide. During the 18-month transition period, city staff would engage in a 'Skip the Straw' educational outreach effort to advance adoption of the new requirements, and no penalities would be enforced.
Based on City Commission's endorsement of this measure during the Workshop, and taking into consi...
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