Split Hermosa Beach City Council bans polystyrene
Hermosa Beach Councilman Kit Bobko The Hermosa Beach City Council has banned Hermosa Beach restaurants from using polystyrene containers, including foam takeout boxes and cups, on a contentious split vote that followed a fourth public hearing on the matter. “This is just another step in cleaning the ocean,” said Councilman Peter Tucker, who joined Councilman Jeff Duclos and Mayor Howard Fishman in approving the ban. Discarded polystyrene foam quickly flakes into small pieces, and members of environmental groups have complained that the flakes make their way into the ocean and constitute a major source of beach litter. Councilman Michael DiVirgilio, who opposed the ban along with Councilman Kit Bobko, said he had not been aware that the ban includes clear plastic “clam-shell” containers used in grocery stores to package items such as muffins, cake slices and rotisserie chickens. City officials said the non-flaky polystyrene containers were included in the ban early in a two-year arc of discussions. A California Grocers Association official asked the council to remove the non-flaky packaging from the ban, saying it would cause a hardship for Hermosa stores. The ban was opposed by…
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