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South City the latest to follow suit on Styrofoam ban
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Related Topics: SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO
Mayor Pedro Gonzalez said he has made a ban of Styrofoam containers the first order of business in 2008. Millbrae became the first city in San Mateo County to ban Styrofoam after city officials passed an ordinance in October 2007, and San Francisco required food vendors who sell prepared food to use compostable or recyclable to-go containers in June 2007.
Late last year, South City sent out notices to local businesses and made public announcements warning residents that a Styrofoam ban will soon be discussed by the City Council.
Director of Economic and Community Development Marty Van Duyn said the City Council will begin hearings next month on a possible ban and will determine whether the ban will target local shops and restaurants or bigger providers of Styrofoam containers such as Costco.
“We have to start [realizing] that we can do without certain things like plastic and Styrofoam,” said Gonzalez, who is in his second term as mayor.
The Styrofoam ban idea follows on the heels of many environmentally conscious ideas in South San Francisco. In 2007, South San Francisco entered into an agreement with San Mateo County to conduct an inventory of how much greenhouse gas emissions it produces to help the county reduce emissions by 80 percent by 2050.
The city plans to put in solar panels and electric charging stations in its downtown parking garage, Gonzalez said. The Community Center at Orange Park is built with some recycled materials, he said.
The mayor also plans to hold informational meetings where the city can learn more about uses and costs of solar energy. He is even considering following in the footsteps of San Francisco in banning plastic bags.
“We have to get on that also, we just have to have cooperation of the people,” he said. “Our lives are easier every time something is invented, but in the long run, it hurts us. We got rid of the glass bottles because we didn’t want to wash them, and now plastic is affecting us.”
Comments from Examiner Readers
1:06 PM MST on Wed., Jul. 9, 2008 re: "Styrofoam ban makes impact"
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Examiner Reader in SF said:
Whether styrofoam is recyclable or not, it is one of the worst forms of plastic. It takes so loooong(thousands years!) to decompose them. It's just crazy! Of course, the material is basically from OIL. When temperature hot liquid or food are served on styrofoam or plastics, there is a risk of drinking/eating some chemicals/oil leaching from the containers. It is bad for human/animal/earth's health from the beginning of creating them to the end(trashing them). No good for us. Why do plastic things like, plastic bags and styrofoam are cheap when gas price is soaring? It doesn't make any sense. Plastic and styrofoam break into smaller pieces, which could be eaten by wild animals and it causes death of precious wild animals. So, not buying them and using them is the most effective way! Be smart and protect yourself, our next generations, and the earth. We also have to solve this problem in less-developed countries.
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Examiner Reader said:
It's such a delight to hear how successful the styrofoam ban has been going. It's unusual to find out that something that was so common was unhealthy to the environment. I grew to know the truth. Luckily, we have seen less and less of these containers. Hopefully SFE can reach out to all food chains, restaurants, grocery stores, and even liquor stores to discontinue the sale of styrofoam products. It would be beneficial for us all.
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Examiner Reader said:
Um, Styrofoam is recyclable. It's normally just cheaper not to recycle it and use new materials instead.
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Examiner Reader said:
Nice job, now how about working with the fast food establishments, particularly those in Western SOMA since a survey of the trash that we pick up in our neighborhood , while not styrofoam, seems to be McDonald's paper cups, paper bags, plastic cup lids and straws. While at it, how about getting the daily free newspaperd (all of them including the SF Bay Guardian which seems to do "no wrong") and somehow figure out a solution to the discarded paper By the way, I think its a real waste to publish the city dailies since the paper is seldom recycled. Yes yes, freedom of the press is very important but once paper is "on the street" no one ever picks it up to recycle it.
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