Berkeley Passes Non-Compostable Food Container Ban, Paper Cup Fee
BERKELEY (CBS SF) — The Berkeley City Council Tuesday night passed a disposable foodware and litter-reduction ordinance that backers say is the most ambitious municipal legislation in the U.S. aimed at reducing the use of single-use disposable foodware.
"History," Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin tweeted Tuesday night after the vote. ".Berkeley passes the most ambitious groundbreaking policy to reduce throw-away foodware in the nation."
"Without dramatic change in the products and packaging that we consume, there will be more plastics than fish in the ocean by the year 2050, the ordinance's lead author City Councilmember Sophie Hahn said at the meeting.
Supporters say the ordinance is backed by a coalition of more than 1,400 local, national, and international organizations participating in the global Break Free From Plastic Movement, including UpStream, The Story of Stuff Project, the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, the Plastic Pollution Coalition and the Surfrider Foundation.