City Explores Ban on Food Packaging

By Olin Ericksen
Staff Writer

April 28 -- After nearly a year of talk and study, Santa Monica officials may soon act on a proposal to ban on non-recyclable food packaging Citywide.

In what City officials say is an effort to continue to heal the bay and further support sustainable practices, the City Council is expected to soon receive staff’s conclusions on a law to ban food-related expanded polystyrene and other non-recyclable food packing within the City for one year.

While the matter was pulled from the May 9 council agenda by the City Manager’s office to gather more input, City staff said they expect the item to return soon.

The ban -- which is opposed by such groups as the Polystyrene Packaging Council, the Food Service and Packaging Institute, the American Chemistry Council and the California Restaurant Association -- would make Santa Monica next on a growing list of counties and cities, including Malibu, that have enacted similar bans.

“We’re going to do what is practical and economical to do here,” said Council member Kevin McKeown, who is the liaison to the Environmental Task Force which first suggested the ban. “We’re looking at arguments on both sides.”

Though City officials acknowledge that some Santa Monica businesses may feel an impact, staff contends the effect of the ban will likely be minimal, though actual dollar amounts are far from concrete.

“It’s really a range of what the economic impacts would be,” said Dean Kubani, the City’s acting environmental program manager who helped author the staff report that surveyed more than 70 local businesses. “The numbers are really squishy.”

Some businesses may have to spend as much as $180 per month to cover the cost of switching products, while others would actually save money, Kubani said.

City staff found that of the nearly 300 restaurants in Santa Monica, half already do not use the materials that would be banned, which include foam-type products and plastic polystyrene materials, Kubani said.

Of those that use the materials, take-out establishments such as the restaurant’s at the Santa Monica Place food court use the greatest volume of what Kubani calls “one-off” items, materials -- such as to-go containers -- which are used one time and then thrown away.

City staff and environmental groups, such as Heal the Bay, say many of these products are light-weight foam-type materials that break into smaller bits that have a lasting impact on the environment.

“This is disposable product designed to be built to last for hundreds if not thousands of years,” said Kubani

Instead they make their way into the Bay and surrounding environment, leading to a disruption in wildlife cycles. Fish and birds, for instance, eat such foam bits, which affect their health and the health of the entire ecosystem.

While industry groups opposing the ban -- who say the City is looking to single out their product -- do not dispute such findings. The key, they argue, is to invest in public education, rather than enact a ban.

Industry officials could not be reached for comment, but City Council members say they are receiving their input in correspondence outlining the issues.

While City officials and staff say the ban is good for the environment, many acknowledge that there are a number of pitfalls and considerations to take into account.

When Malibu first enacted a ban last year, the ordinance had to be retooled after an outcry from local businesses that claimed it was affecting their bottom line.

“We ran into some wall with Malibu,” said McKeown. “We want to learn from other’s mistakes, and get it right.”

In addition, the materials at issue are different. While a ban on foam-type polystyrene products may not have a huge impact on local businesses, the impact of banning plastic-type packaging materials is harder to gauge, Kubani said.

Finally, City official admit that banning the materials in Santa Monica is not a panacea, since the city is just one municipality in a large region.

When storm run-off drains into the ocean, it may come from as far away as the Inland Empire, City officials note. Getting those regions to enact such a ban may be a political feat in itself, officials said.

But the ban, McKeown said, would be small price to pay.

“There is enough background and research on alternatives that we should be able to do this,” said McKeown. “This is not off the wall.”