Ordinance 3193CITY OF ALAMEDA ORDINANCE NO. 3193
New Series
AMENDING THE ALAMEDA MUNICIPAL CODE SECTION 4-4
(DISPOSABLE FOOD SERVICE WARE) TO PROHIBIT CERTAIN
SINGLE-USE PLASTICS SUCH AS STRAWS AND CLARIFYING
COMPOSTABLE FOOD SERVICE WARE REQUIREMENTS
WHEREAS, single-use plastics such as straws are commonly littered or blown
out of trash receptacles and migrate to the storm drain system and eventually to the
ocean and Alameda’s beaches; and
WHEREAS, reusable or compostable food service ware is better for the
environment, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and reduces the need for landfills;
and
WHEREAS, reduction of single-use plastics in the environment will advance
compliance with federal, state and city clean water mandates; and
WHEREAS, the use of single use plastics will be reduced by making straws only
available upon request; and
WHEREAS, if requested, the provision of a compostable (paper) straw serves
the needs of the customer and produces a material that can be readily composted and
achieve the City’s zero waste goals.
BE IT ORDAINED by the City Council of the City of Alameda:
SECTION 1. CEQA Finding. This Ordinance is exempt from the environmental review
requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section
15061 (b)(3) of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations because it can be seen
with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a
significant effect on the environment. Further, the proposed Ordinance is exempt from
CEQA on the separate and independent ground that it is an action of a regulatory
agency (the City) for the protection of the environment because it will strengthen the
City's regulations regarding the distribution and sale of polystyrene products. Thus, this
Ordinance is categorically exempt from the requirements of CEQA under Section 15308
of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations as an action by a regulatory agency for
the protection of the environment.
Section 2. The title of Section 4-4 of the Alameda Municipal Code is hereby amended to
read "DISPOSABLE FOOD SERVICE WARE".
Section 3. The City Council hereby amends Section 4 -4 of the Alameda Municipal Code
to read as follows:
4‐4 ‐ DISPOSABLE FOOD SERVICE WARE.
4‐4.1 ‐ Title.
This section shall be known as the Alameda Disposable Food Service Ware Reduction
Law.
4‐4.2 ‐ Purpose and Findings.
The City Council finds that food service ware that is not reusable or readily compostable
or recyclable constitutes a significant adverse environmental impact. Solid waste t hat is
not reusable or readily compostable or recyclable poses an acute problem for any
program of integrated waste management. Such waste covers the City's streets, parks,
public places, and open spaces. It clogs storm drains, arch culverts, and catch bas ins
thereby significantly increasing time and expense to public works maintenance crews
during a storm event. It enters the marine and natural environment and is damaging to
the environment and marine wildlife.
Compostable or recyclable products offer environmentally sound alternatives to
noncompostable and nonrecyclable products currently used, single-use food ware.
Compostable and recyclable products are less of a danger to the natural environment,
less likely to be a permanent blight on the urban landscape, less likely to cause storm
drainage system maintenance expenses, and less likely to cause flooding due to
clogged storm drains, arch culverts, and catch basins. Compostable products can be
processed into valuable material to support agriculture and la ndscaping, consequently
reducing the need for water and pesticides on those applications. The recycling of
products reduces costly waste of natural resources and energy used in production of
new products, the costs of disposing material in landfills, and landfills’ emissions.
Food service ware made of polystyrene, plastic utensils, and single -use straws are
particularly challenging to the City of Alameda as each is slow to degrade, prevalent as
litter in City’s urban landscape and beaches, and substitutes for disposable food service
ware are currently available and affordable.
4‐4.3 ‐ Definitions.
As used in this section:
ASTM standard means meeting the standards of the American Society for Testing and
Materials (ASTM) International Standards D6400 or D6868 for biodegradable and
compostable plastics.
Biodegradable means the entire product or package will completely break down and
return to nature, i.e., decompose into elements found in nature within a reasonably short
period of time after customary disposal and is consistent with the materials accepted at
the composting facility used by the City's franchisee for integrated waste management.
City facilities means any building, structure or vehicle owned or operated by the City of
Alameda, its agencies, departments and the integrated waste franchisee that are
located within the City of Alameda.
City Manager means the City Manager of the City of Alameda or the City Manager’s
designee.
Compostable means all materials in the product or package will break down into, or
otherwise become part of, usable compost (e.g., soil-conditioning material, mulch) in a
safe and timely manner. Regulations issued by the Public Works Director will determine
the specific products or product types considered compostable for purposes o f this
ordinance.
Customer means any person obtaining prepared food from a food vendor.
Disposable food service ware means all containers, bowls, plates, trays, cartons, cups,
lids, straws, forks, spoons, knives and other items that are designed for one -time use
and on, or in, which any food vendor directly places or packages prepared foods or
which are used to consume foods. This includes, but is not limited to, food service ware
for takeout foods and/or leftovers from partially consumed meals prepared by food
vendors.
Food vendor means any restaurant, bar, retail food vendor, or food truck located or
operating within the City of Alameda.
Polystyrene foam means and includes blown polystyrene and expanded and extruded
foams (sometimes called Styrofoam, a Dow Chemical Company trademarked form of
polystyrene foam insulation) which are thermoplastic petrochemical materials utilizing a
styrene monomer and processed by any number of techniques including, but not limited
to, fusion of polymer spheres (expandable b ead polystyrene), injection molding, foam
molding, and extrusion-blown molding (extruded foam polystyrene). Polystyrene foam is
generally used to make items such as cups, bowls, plates, trays, clamshell containers,
meat trays, and egg cartons.
Prepared food means food or beverages that are served, packaged, cooked, chopped,
sliced, mixed, brewed, frozen, squeezed or otherwise prepared for consumption and
includes takeout food. For the purposes of this section, prepared food does not include
raw, butchered meats, fish and/or poultry sold from a butcher case or similar retail
appliance.
Public Works Director means the Public Works Director of the City of Alameda or the
Public Works Director’s designee.
Restaurant, for the purposes of this section, means any establishment located within the
City of Alameda that sells prepared food for consumption on, near, or off its premises by
a customer. Restaurant, for purposes of this section, includes itinerant restaurants,
pushcarts and vehicular food vendors.
Retail food vendor means any store, shop, sales outlet, food truck, or other
establishment, including a grocery store or a delicatessen, other than a restaurant,
located within the City of Alameda that sells prepared food.
Single-use straw means a tube for transferring a beverage from its container to the
mouth of the drinker that is intended for a single use.
Takeout food means prepared food that may be consumed either on or off the premises
from which it is sold.
4‐4.4 ‐– Food Service Ware Prohibited.
a. Food vendors are prohibited from providing prepared food to customers in disposable
food service ware that uses polystyrene foam.
b. All persons in charge of City facilities are prohibited from using polystyrene foa m
disposable food service ware that uses polystyrene foam and all City departments and
agencies will not purchase or acquire disposable food service ware that uses
polystyrene foam for use at City facilities.
c. Except as provided in Section 4-4.6 of this article, agents, contractors and vendors
doing business with the City shall be prohibited from disposable food service ware that
uses polystyrene foam in City facilities or on City projects.
4-4.4.1 Single Use Straws
On and after January 1, 2018, no food vendor shall provide a single-use straw to a
customer except on the customer’s specific request. A food vendor may have single -use
straws available for use by customers at locations within the restaurant, bar or food
vendor.
4-4.5 - Compostable Disposable Food Service Ware Required.
a. All food vendors using disposable food service ware shall use compostable
disposable food service ware unless the food vendor can demonstrate an undue
hardship as provided in to subsection (b) of Section 4-4.6.
b. Food vendors are strongly encouraged to provide reusable food service ware in place
of disposable food service ware.
c. In instances where food vendors decide to use compostable disposable food service
ware that is higher priced than their current ware, a food vend or may charge a "take out
fee" to customers to cover the cost difference.
d. All persons in charge of City facilities will use compostable disposable food service
ware unless such use is an undue hardship. Agents, contractors, and vendors doing
business with the City will use compostable food service ware in City facilities or on City
projects, unless the City Manager or his or her designee finds an undue hardship.
4‐4.6 ‐ Exemptions.
a. Persons packaging prepared foods outside the City of Alameda are exem pt from the
provisions of this section; provided, however, such persons are encouraged to follow
the provisions of this section.
b. Food vendors shall be exempt from the provisions of this section for no more than
one year if the City Manager or his or her designee finds that an undue hardship exists.
For purposes of this section 4-4.6, the phrase "undue hardship" shall be construed to
include, but not be limited to, situations where a food vendor can demonstrate to the
satisfaction of the City Manager or his or her designee that there is significant difficulty
or expense incurred by meeting the requirements of this section which difficulty or
expenses directly impacts the food vendor's ability to conduct business or deprive the
food vendor of a legally protected right.
“Significant difficulty” will be established based on, but not limited to, the food vendor’s
documenting the list of suppliers contacted and explaining how the food vendor has
determined that no acceptable disposable food service ware is a vailable at a
commercially reasonable price, and reasons which are particularly burdensome to the
food vendor and its type of operation(s) or the food served.
“Significant expense” will be established based on, but not limited to, demonstrating that
the disposable food service ware is not available at a commercially reasonable price
and the additional cost associated with providing the disposable food service ware is
particularly burdensome to the food vendor based on the type of operation(s) affected,
the overall size of the business, the number, type and location of its facilities and the
impact on the overall financial resources of the food vendor. In determining whether a
significant expense has been established, the City Manager or his or her designee shall
also consider the ability of the food vendor to recover the additional expense by
increasing its prices, the availability of tax credits and deductions, and/or outside
funding.
c. Polystyrene foam coolers and ice chests that are intended for reuse a re exempt from
the provision of this section.
d. Disposable food service ware composed entirely of aluminum is exempt from the
provisions of this section.
e. Emergency Supply and Services Procurement For the immediate preservation of the
public peace or, health or safety due to an emergency or natural disaster, the City
Manager or his or her designee may , exempt food vendors, persons operating City
facilities and agents, contractors, and vendors doing business with the City, from the
provisions of this section.
4‐4.7 ‐ Enforcement.
a. The Public Works Director shall have primary responsibility for enforcement of this
section. The Public Works Director is authorized to promulgate regulations and to take
any and all other actions reasonable and necessary to enforce this section, including,
but not limited to, entering the premises of any food vendor during regular business
hours to verify compliance.
b. Enforcement of Section 4-4.4.1 shall not commence until after June 30, 2018
4‐4.8 ‐ Violations—Penalties.
a. Penalties for violations of the provisions of this section shall be as provided in Section
1-5 and/or pursuant Section 1-7 et seq. of the Alameda Municipal Code.
Section 4. Severability Clause. It is the declared intent of the City Council of Alameda
that if any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or provision of this ordinance
is held invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity or
unconstitutionality shall not be so construed as to render invalid or unc onstitutional the
remaining provision of this ordinance.
Section 5. This ordinance and the rules, regulations, provisions, requirements, orders,
and matters established and adopted hereby shall take effect and be in full force and
effect from and after the expiration of thirty (30) days from the date of its final passage.
_____________________________
Presiding Officer of the City Council
Attest:
____________________
Lara Weisiger, City Clerk
* * * * * *
I, the undersigned, hereby certify that the foregoing Ordinance was duly and
regularly adopted and passed by the Council of the City of Alameda in a regular
meeting assembled on the 4th day of October, 2017, by the following vote to wit:
AYES: Councilmembers Ezzy Ashcraft, Matarrese, Oddie, Vella and
Mayor Spencer – 5.
NOES: None.
ABSENT: None.
ABSTENTIONS: None.
IN WITNESS, WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the
official seal of said City this 5th day of October, 2017.
_____________________
Lara Weisiger, City
Clerk City of Alameda
Approved as to form:
_______________________
Janet C. Kern, City Attorney
City of Alameda