Unlike most cafes in Australia, if you dine in to enjoy a coffee or lunch at a coffee shop in the US, it can often be provided in single use receptacles. This is about to change with an assertive new step towards removing unnecessary plastic waste in Los Angeles County.
On Tuesday, The Board of Supervisors – the governing body of the county- approved an ordinance that will require all take away cutlery or dishes to be home compostable or recyclable by next year.
Los Angeles county is home to over 10 million people – roughly Sydney and Melbourne combined – so the positive impact of this ban could be huge. It is a move Sheila Kuehl, who is a member of the Board of Supervisors says is “a major step forward in reducing our reliance on plastic and reducing its harm to human and marine health.”
California has a massive plastic waste problem, dumping more than 12,000 tonnes of plastic into landfills every day — enough to fill 219 Olympic-size swimming pools. And as often happens, single-use plastic finds its way into the pacific ocean and other natural environments. This not only has dire consequences for marine life, but negatively affects the tourism industry in a state that has been known to hold the #1 tourist destination in the country, according to the LA Times.
The mandate is not limited to dishes and cutlery. It also places a ban on the sale of expanded polystyrene foam and requires sit-down restaurants to provide guests with reusable dishes and silverware.
Also on Tuesday in Northern California a similar ordinance was approved. Together, these steps help the state catch up with many similar mandates already made in other states and around the world.
Source: Grist
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