Rohnert Park has banned foam to-go boxes and other nonrecyclable food ware to cut down on waste management costs and reduce environmental impacts.
The ordinance prohibits the use or sale of clamshell containers, disposable foam cups and plates and even foam ice chests. It is based on model regulation crafted by Zero Waste Sonoma, the public agency that governs waste management across the region.
Rohnert Park is the last municipality in Sonoma County to prohibit the use and sale of polystyrene products in restaurants and retailers following a wave of ordinances enacted across the region since 2019.
Councilwoman Pam Stafford, the city’s liaison on the Zero Waste Sonoma board, said she was happy to see a proposal come before council.
The city is “doing the right thing,” she said.
The new rules will go into effect later this summer though the city plans to give businesses one year to comply as city staff and Zero Waste conduct outreach and educate businesses on the requirements, Public Works Director Vanessa Garrett said.
Other provisions in the ordinance will require food and beverage providers and special events promoters to use recyclable or compostable materials when available. Single-use straws, lids and to-go utensils and condiment packets will be provided upon request.
Packaging for meat and fish is exempt from the ban as are foam products encased in a more durable material, including ice chests with an outer shell.
Businesses could impose a voluntary 25 cent take-out fee for disposable food ware or give residents who bring their own reusable to-go boxes a credit.
Businesses can request a waiver to be exempted from complying for one year if the new rules would create an undue hardship.
Garrett told the council that a ban would help decrease the amount of material going to the landfill and reduce the city’s waste management expenses. It would also prevent the material from littering city streets, parks and waterways.
“If each one of our residents eats out once a month, that’s 43,000 containers that would be a recyclable or compostable container instead of polystyrene,” Garrett previously told the council during an April discussion on the measure.
Zero Waste Sonoma will work with the city to enforce the new rules following the education period.
Polystyrene is a plastic commonly used in takeout containers, foam cups, cheap coolers and packing materials. It isn’t recyclable or biodegradable.
It has been targeted for decades by environmentalists who warn the brittle material easily breaks, is hard to clean and is harmful to wildlife who mistake it for food.
Cities have had to tackle the issue locally in the absence of a statewide ban. An initiative to ban single-use plastic packaging and containers and require all utensils to be reusable, recyclable or compostable has qualified for the November ballot.
Sebastopol was the first city in the county to approve a ban in 2019.
Rohnert Park staff held off on bringing an ordinance forward because of “competing priorities during the past couple of years,” Garrett told The Press Democrat.
She said the city is concerned about the financial impact the new requirements could have on businesses because of the increased costs to switch to reusable products, especially as some continue to rebound from pandemic loss, which is why the city will be focusing on education first.
The city isn’t aware of any concerns or problems that have been raised in other municipalities that have adopted the ordinance, she said.
You can reach Staff Writer Paulina Pineda at 707-521-5268 or [email protected]. On Twitter @paulinapineda22.
