Hermosa, Glendale OK Limits on Plastic

Santa Monica Bay scored two big victories Tuesday night in the ongoing fight to keep harmful and unsightly plastic debris from reaching the seas.

The Hermosa Beach City Council decided in a 3-2 vote to ban polystyrene (Styrofoam) food take-out containers at local restaurants. The measure, which came as a recommendation from the Hermosa Beach Green Task Force last September, received broad support from environmental groups, educators, business, and local residents. Mayor Fishman, Mayor Pro Tempore Duclos and Councilmember Tucker all voted for the ban. Hermosa Beach now joins the over 50 California municipalities including Santa Monica, Calabasas and Malibu, in banning some type of polystyrene food packaging. The County of Los Angeles is completing its stakeholder process to evaluate the feasibility of a similar measure for restaurants within its jurisdiction.

Also Tuesday night, the Glendale City Council unanimously directed staff to draft a single-use bag ordinance similar to L.A . County’s policy and begin the necessary environmental review.  The City of Los Angeles, Pasadena, Burbank and Culver City are also considering similar measures. These local initiatives will hopefully encourage state legislators to take action as well in the coming year.

And remember, Dec. 15 is Heal the Bay’s fifth annual Day Without a Bag, in which we encourage local shoppers to forego harmful plastic bags in favor of resuable ones. We will be distributing free bags throughout Los Angeles County. Save the date! More details to come.