The Hermosa Beach City Council on Tuesday voted to ban polystyrene takeout containers in the city, making Hermosa Beach the first community in the South Bay to enact such restrictions.
The ban affects restaurants, grocery stores and food vendors that distribute prepared foods in foam containers.
The ban was originally approved in March but put on hold in April while city staff clarified language so it would not apply to some packaging for grocery stores, including for raw meats or produce. The City Council is expected to formally adopt the new ordinance after a “second reading” at its Sept. 11 meeting.
The ordinance excludes cup lids, utensils and straws and would not apply to products prepared outside the city and brought in by individual consumers.
Environmental groups say polystyrene is a main culprit polluting the beach and ocean. The product breaks down into the tiny and toxic flakes that look like food to fish and birds.
The new ordinance does not become effective for at least six months after its formal adoption, officials said. The city plans to partner with the packaging industry, local businesses and environmental groups in an education effort before enforcement.
The ban applies to vendors at city events such as Fiesta Hermosa and excludes the Hermosa Beach City School District’s official school lunch program, according to the ordinance. The city manager is responsible for enforcement, and about 25 businesses will be affected by the ban.
Representatives from the local chapter of the Surfrider Foundation said the most common debris found among 15,000 pieces of trash at the Herondo Street storm drain is Styrofoam, a common form of polystyrene. The ban was supported by the city-appointed Green Task Force and other environmental groups that have spoken at one of the four previous public hearings on the issue.
Sarah Sheehy, the director of local government relations with California Grocers Association, told the council that her organization opposed the ban because it included “clear polystyrene or oriented polystyrene,” which typically hold rotisserie chicken, a single piece of cake or a six-pack of muffins, Sheehy said.
Community Development Director Ken Robertson said there were biodegradable and other packaging alternatives for grocers.
“We’re not asking the manufacturers to go out and invent some kind of new packaging material. It’s already on the shelf,” said Council member Peter Tucker.
Mayor Pro Tem Kit Bobko said he opposed the ban because it would hurt businesses. Bobko said the goal of the ban was to eliminate the product from polluting the beach and ocean, but the ordinance allows people to bring polystyrene products on the beach.
Mayor Jeff Duclos said the product is a likely carcinogen for humans and has been shown to migrate from containers to food when in contact with heat or fatty or acidic foods. “We’re not just talking about something that will keep our beach cleaner. We’re talking about something that has human health implications as well,” Duclos said.
Council member Howard Fishman joined Duclos and Tucker in support of the ban. Council member Mike DiVirgilio, who had opposed the ban at previous meetings, was absent on Tuesday because his wife had just delivered a newborn baby girl.
Polystyrene has been banned in some form in more than 60 cities in California, officials said.
