Fed up with 'trash islands,' LA County leaders consider ban on some food containers

Kuehl noted that 110 municipalities across the Golden State, including Pasadena, Calabasas, Hermosa Beach and West Hollywood, adopted ordinances prohibiting or restricting polystyrene containers and other ware. She said since the county last studied the issue, there are new technologies and products that are environmentally friendly, biodegradable and cost-effective.But while members of organizations such as Heal the Bay, the Surfrider Foundation, and a local chapter of the Sierra Club all applauded the county’s efforts, representatives of other organizations such as Valley Industry Commerce Association, BizFed, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, and the California Grocers Association spoke out against the idea, saying that there were too many misconceptions about polystyrene.Adena Tessler, a spokeswoman for the California Restaurant Association, asked the board to take into consideration what a proposed ban would mean to small family owned restaurants. “Family restaurants in L.A. County are currently struggling to adjust to the minimum wage hike,” she said, adding that new products out there won’t reduce landfill waste.Anne Nguyen, with the Dart Container Corporation, said the company hires 650 Californians and a ban would threaten employment. The company, she said wants to work to improve its products, but the alternatives to polystyrene can’t be recycled. AdvertisementPolystyrene, some who spoke out noted, is only recyclable if there is no food waste on it. Manhattan Beach Mayor David Lesser said family owned restaurants had adjusted fine and found alternatives when his city adopted a ban in 2013.“Nearly 90 percent of our merchants are in compliance,” David Lesser. “It’s viewed as a success.”Hahn said she wanted the feasibility study to include voices from business owners as well, but she has noticed the plastic waste along the coastal areas of her district.“ I have many beaches in the district I represent,” she said. “A lot of this (polystyrene) ends up in our beaches and threatens are beautiful ecosystems.”County departments are expected to present a feasibility study in 120 days.Kuehl also introduced a motion that members of the Board also passed that looks into whether all new construction, building additions or major roof replacements in the unincorporated areas of the county can use “cool roof” materials to help manage heat that is both absorbed inside the structures and in the atmosphere. The City of Los Angeles... (LA Daily News)