CITY HALL — More than 300 cities and 55 countries around the world have banned single-use plastics in an effort to reduce the millions of pounds of plastic trash clogging our lakes and oceans.

Chicago could be next.

On Wednesday, Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) and Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza (10th) will introduce an ordinance that looks to significantly cut down how many plastic forks, plates and spoons are doled out by restaurants and other businesses in the city.

The ordinance calls for a total elimination of polystyrene, or styrofoam, foodware. The notorious packaging is not biodegradable.

The ordinance is supported by Ald. George Cardenas (12th), Ald. Matt Martin (47th), Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd), Maria Hadden (49th) and Michelle Smith (43rd).

This ordinance would be the Midwest’s strongest, said Jen Walling, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council.

“It’s time for Chicago to step up and lead the Great Lakes region,” Walling said.

Aldermen worked with the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Illinois PIRG, the Illinois Environmental Council, the Recycling Coalition and the Alliance for the Great Lakes to draft the ordinance.

“Only 9 percent of all plastic produced is recycled in Chicago,” supporters of the ordinance said in a statement. “The rest ends up in landfills, along our streets, in gutters and eventually in our water.”

Groups that advocate for people with disabilities also helped with the ordinance. Access Living looked at and tested straw and foodware alternatives and weighed in on the proposed ordinance.

Starting in 2021, restaurants where patrons eat in would be required to use reusable foodware like bowls and plates.

There would be exceptions — like restaurants being able to use plastic straws, paper napkins and foil wrappers — but those items would largely need to be compostable or recyclable.

To help, the city would maintain a list of businesses that sell compostable and recyclable foodware. Full and partial waivers for up to one year would be available to restaurants if the city determined there were no “suitable and affordable” foodware products available.

Restaurants that don’t have the ability to wash dishes and can’t contract out that work would also be able to get a partial or full waiver.

Customers would be able to bring in their own reusable cups, though restaurants would be able to opt not to use those cups if they were damaged, inappropriate in size or dirty, among other things. Instead, restaurants would give the customers a reusable cup that could be used at the eatery or a disposable cup if the customer wants to take the drink elsewhere.

The ordinance also seeks to limit, though not outright ban, other types of plastic packaging: Restaurants could give disposable foodware accessories — like forks — to customers if their patrons asked for them, but those items wouldn’t be able to be packaged in plastic.

And eateries would be “encouraged” to use dispensers for condiments rather than small, plastic packages.

The city would also provide restaurants with printable signs indicating where items could be tossed to be recycled, composted or thrown out.

“When plastics enter our water, they do not disappear,” the Illinois Environmental Council said in a statement. “They break down into microplastics, which cannot be filtered by water treatment plants, and end up in our food and drinking water.”

Sadlowski Garza, who has nine landfills in her ward, said today’s “throwaway culture” is unsustainable at a Wednesday morning news conference.

“I’m very proud of us … for taking a stance on this,” Sadlowski Garza said. “It’s our to job to make sure our environment is sustainable.”

Waguespack, one of the ordinance’s supporters, said the Great Lakes and Chicago River need to be “cleaned up.” When he kayaks, he sees piles of small trash — much of it single-use plastic.

“It doesn’t just harm our children, it harms our wildlife, too,” Waguespack said.

Michelle Thoma-Culver, president of the Chicago Recycling Coalition, said everyone eats, drinks and breathes microplastics every day.

“The plague of plastics in our environment is real and serious,” she said. “Chicagoans are up for this challenge.”

The city banned plastic bags in 2017, forcing those who wanted one to pay 7 cents at grocery stores and other businesses. According to a study done one month after the ban was implemented, the use of plastic bags by Chicagoans dropped 42 percent in the first month.

The measure will need approval from the full City Council in order to advance.

Styrofoam should have been dead 25 years ago. Get that shit out of here.

Dog shit must be picked up with your bare hands.

Scoop it

With your mouth

https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/01/15/chicago-moves-to-ban-all-styrofoam-single-use-plastics/?mc_cid=16f0113cae&mc_eid=f34fe8ae91


Love it. Get it passed.

Styrofoam should have been dead 25 years ago. Get that shit out of here.

Ok Boomer. You probably like paper straws too.

Ok Boomer. You probably like paper straws too.

Nah, the paper straws suck. I'm not completely anti-plastic, but styrofoam is maybe the worst material ever invented. Whoever developed it should be thrown off a building.

I can't speak for factory settings as I haven't worked in one in over 10 years. But as just one of the thousands of Loop office drones, I used to go out to lunch 1 or 2 times a week. All the pointless plastic utensils quickly added up.

It's so easy to pack a cheap set of re-useable utensils and use tupperware (rather than ziplock bags or saran wrap) for your lunch.

Paper straws are the worst. Just let me drink off the glass.

It really comes down to breaking wasteful old habits. Which ends up being easy in this area.

I always smile at the momentary surprised looks after asking that my groceries be put back into the cart if I haven't brought enough reusable bags into a suburban supermarket.

To help, the city would maintain a list of businesses that sell compostable and recyclable foodware

I know they're not environmentally sound, but I miss the old styrofoam clamshell burger boxes at McDonald's. Kept the buns moist vs the cardboard boxes...gotta have moist buns!