Single-use plastic ban weighed by City Council
Reusable food ware might be required at dine-in restaurants
In an effort to cut back on the 300 tons of singleuse food ware items tossed out by residents and businesses each year, the Cupertino City Council is considering banning single-use plastics at food service establishments as soon as next summer.
The proposed law, which could go into effect June 2023, would follow the lead of neighboring cities like Mountain View and Palo Alto by banning plastics straws, utensils, containers and drink stirrers at local eateries. Instead, residents would have to use alternatives, such as paper, wood, aluminum, bamboo or other fiber-based compostables.
But Cupertino is looking to take its law even further and become the first city in Santa Clara County to require reusable food ware not just for take-out, but for dining in, as well.
Vignesh Swaminathan, the chair of Cupertino's Sustainability Commission, said that while getting rid of single-use plastics may be daunting, it's just another step in helping the city reach its climate goals.
The commission has made several aggressive recommendations for the city to implement by 2024 — including banning the sale of bio-plastics at retail stores, charging customers for single-use food ware, piloting a reusable takeout food ware program at local restaurants and prohibiting plastic bags for takeout orders.
“It's going to have some growing pains,” he said. “Some folks are going to be like, `Hey, I thought we could all get cups and plates and buy them locally to have a pizza party in the park and then throw that all away in the local dumpster.' That's not something that Cupertino wants to support.”
If the council decides to follow through with the recommendations, Cupertino would be the first in the county to charge for single-use food ware and ban plastic bags for takeout orders.
But banning single-use plastics next year could prove challenging for some businesses — specifically boba tea shops, of which there are 13 in Cupertino, according to city officials.
“They have special equipment and the lids are heat sealed and you have the plastic straws,” Mayor Darcy Paul said. “I think that makes for a very meaningful test case because of the number of the types of shops in our city. What I would like to do is make sure that we're looking closely at our business community and ensuring that we're not putting an onerous burden economically on our business and retail sector.”
City officials have proposed several temporary exemptions to allow more time for compliance for businesses that may experience “significant economic hardship” or have “unique packaging hardship.” Food establishments would also be allowed to distribute plastic straws in situations where it's medically necessary for the customer.
The Cupertino Chamber of Commerce has yet to take a stance on the proposed law, but spokesperson Rick Kitson said they are concerned about smaller food establishments.
“Those small businesses that have survived both the pandemic and Amazon, it's those businesses that we're concerned about, and at this point we don't have enough information to understand how it will impact them,” he said.
The City Council plans to discuss the proposed ordinance at an April meeting.