Big changes may be coming this spring for many San Diego restaurants and retail stores, because city officials say they plan to follow through on a long-delayed ban on polystyrene foam food containers, coolers, pool toys and similar products.
Big changes may be coming this spring for many San Diego restaurants and retail stores, because city officials say they plan to follow through on a long-delayed ban on polystyrene foam food containers, coolers, pool toys and similar products.
City officials said the ban, which has been delayed nearly four years by litigation filed by restaurants and foam container companies, will take effect April 1 if the City Council approves it during a hearing scheduled for Nov. 15.
Prospects for approval got a boost Thursday when the council’s Environment Committee voted 4-0 in favor of the ban, with Councilmember Joe LaCava saying, «San Diego is ready to say goodbye to Styrofoam.»
The city’s move was praised Thursday by several environmental groups, who stressed that foam products poison marine life and damage the health of people who eat seafood.
Such foam, often sold under the brand name Styrofoam, is not biodegradable and continuously breaks into steadily smaller pieces, which allows it to enter local waterways and easily get consumed by wildlife.
The San Diego law would also make it illegal for restaurants and delivery services to distribute plastic utensils or straws unless customers request them.
Councilmember Marni von Wilpert said she would support San Diego eventually banning plastic straws entirely.
Councilmember Jennifer Campbell said she’d like to remove an exemption for foam body boards, contending foam from the boards still frequently ends up in the ocean despite protective coating designed to prevent that.
