Politics & Government
City to Study Styrofoam Ban
Following in the footsteps of San Mateo County supervisors, City Council agrees to take close look at requiring biodegradable takeout containers.
The City Council agreed Monday to study whether to adopt an ordinance banning Styrofoam take-out containers.
The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors recently banned polystyrene containers in restaurants in unincorporated areas of the county. The ordinance, which requires all retail establishments to use compostable containers, took effect July 1.
Mayor Linda Koelling said she brought the issue to council after Supervisor Adrienne Tissier encouraged all cities in the county to adopt a similar ordinance.
“I think it’s worth discussing and looking into further to see the impact on something like this,” Koelling said.
Burlingame, San Bruno, Millbrae, Pacifica and South San Francisco have banned polystyrene containers.
Polystyrene is not biodegradable and can be hazardous to ocean animals and wildlife, the staff report says.
Sally Liu, vice chair of the Environmental Sustainability Task Force, said she has participated in coastal cleanups where tiny pieces of polystyrene are almost impossible to remove from the environment.
“It’s disturbing to me when I see restaurants using polystyrene,” Liu said.
City staff along with the Environmental Sustainability Task Force will research the pros, cons and costs of a Styrofoam ban but will not bring back a draft ordinance.
Council members Rick Wykoff and Charlie Bronitsky said they just wanted an objective analysis.
The council voted 4-1 to move polystyrene ban forward, with Councilwoman Pam Frisella dissenting because she said the issue had already been studied by the county and local cities and she is ready to adopt an ordinance.
In other matters the council:
- Approved a $139,000 contract with Saviano Company to resurface and repair five basketball courts and eight tennis courts. The site improvement work will be completed at five basketball courts within Edgewater, Shad, Sunfish,Turnstone and Ketch parks and eight tennis courts located at Boothbay and Leo J. Ryan Memorial parks. Construction is scheduled to begin in August.
- Amended an agreement with Urban Table Famers’ Markets. Weekly rent will be reduced from $100 to $25, and Urban Table will pay annual business license taxes amounting to $25 per vendor.
- Approved a response letter to the 2010-11 Grand Jury on cell tower permitting.
