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single-use-plastics_presentationSINGLE-USE PLASTICS & THE CITY OF ATLANTIC BEACH 2.11.2019 | Presented by Brittany Norris MEET SINGLE-USE PLASTICS. 2 Also called disposable plastics. In general, plastic items intended for one-time use, followed by disposal (trash or recycle). In this presentation, focus is placed on: ‣Disposable plastic bags of any thickness ‣Polystyrene (primarily expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) in the form of cups, plates, take-out food containers, and packing materials) FIRST UP, THERE’S A LOT OF IT. ‣400 million tons produced every year across the world ‣Accounts for 47% of global waste ‣The USA makes most of it 3 1. United Nations Environment Programme, (2018). SINGLE-USE PLASTICS:A Roadmap for Sustainability 2. Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made, Geyer, Jambeck, and Law (2017). http://advances.sciencemag.org/ content/3/7/e1700782 WHY ARE THEY “IN THE WILD?” ‣Low recycling rates - 9.1 percent recycling rate for plastics in 2015 ‣88% of all plastic bags are not recycled - That’s over 4 million tons of plastic bags landing in in U.S. landﬁlls each year ‣Recyclable costs outweighs value - Plastic bags and expanded polystyrene are expensive to recycle ‣They last forever - Not really, but it can take more than 1,000 years for a plastic bag to break down 4 1.EPA’s Facts and Figures about Materials, Waste and Recycling. https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-ﬁgures-about-materials- waste-and-recycling/plastics-material-speciﬁc-data 2.Florida Department of Environmental Protection, 2010. Retail Bags Report For the Legislature 3.It’s Not Styrofoam, 2017. https://tedium.co/2017/03/14/expanded-polystyrene-foam-not-styrofoam/ EFFECTS ON ATLANTIC BEACH: 5 1.Florida Department of Environmental Protection, 2010. Retail Bags Report For the Legislature 2.International Costal Cleanup Report 2017: Ocean Conservancy. https://oceanconservancy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/ International-Coastal-Cleanup_2017-Report.pdf 3.The 2017 International Coastal Cleanup Results Are In!, 2018. https://oceanconservancy.org/blog/2018/06/27/2017- international-coastal-cleanup-results/ ‣Complicates storm water management - Plastic bags are a main source of storm water pollution ‣Additional burden on keeping beaches clean - Plastic dominates the list of items recovered in beach cleanups ‣Affects the wildlife we already value and protect - Plastic litter is known to be lethal to marine wildlife ‣Yes, we’re on an island, but only physically UNDERSTANDING THE LAY OF THE LAND. ‣Austin, Texas ‣Boston, Massachusetts ‣Chicago, Illinois ‣Los Angeles, California ‣San Francisco, California ‣Seattle, Wash. 7 1. State Plastic and Paper Bag Legislation, NCSL, January 2019.http://www.ncsl.org/research/environment-and-natural-resources/plastic-bag-legislation.aspx ‣Boulder, Colorado ‣Brownsville, Texas ‣Montgomery County, Maryland ‣New York, New York ‣Portland, Maine ‣Washington D.C. TACKLING PLASTIC. Bans on plastic bags:Plastic bag fees: TAKING ON POLYSTYRENE. ‣Portland, Maine ‣Brookline, Massachusetts ‣Ashland, Oregon ‣Huntington Beach, California ‣Portland, Oregon ‣Minneapolis, Minnesota 8 1.MAP: Which Cities Have Banned Plastic Foam? Groundswell, July 2014. https://groundswell.org/map-which-cities-have-banned-plastic-foam/ Complete and/or partial ban of plastic foam products: ‣Bal Harbour, Florida ‣Bay Harbor Islands, Florida ‣Key Biscayne, Florida ‣Miami Beach, Florida ‣North Bay Village, Florida ‣Surfside, Florida THE BAD NEWS: 9 1.Florida Department of Environmental Protection, 2010. Retail Bags Report For the Legislature ‣Florida Statute 403.7033 - Passed in 2008 ‣Florida Department of Environmental Protection directed to make recommendations to policymakers ‣The report was delivered on February 1, 2010 ‣9 years, no action There’s a preemption on disposable plastic bags. F.S. 403.7033: 10 Departmental analysis of particular recyclable materials.—The Legislature ﬁnds that prudent regulation of recyclable materials is crucial to the ongoing welfare of Florida’s ecology and economy. As such, the Department of Environmental Protection shall undertake an analysis of the need for new or different regulation of auxiliary containers, wrappings, or disposable plastic bags used by consumers to carry products from retail establishments. The analysis shall include input from state and local government agencies, stakeholders, private businesses, and citizens, and shall evaluate the efficacy and necessity of both statewide and local regulation of these materials. To ensure consistent and effective implementation, the department shall submit a report with conclusions and recommendations to the Legislature no later than February 1, 2010. Until such time that the Legislature adopts the recommendations of the department, no local government, local governmental agency, or state government agency may enact any rule, regulation, or ordinance regarding use, disposition, sale, prohibition, restriction, or tax of such auxiliary containers, wrappings, or disposable plastic bags. MORE BAD NEWS: 11 1.Miami Beach gets to stay Styrofoam free — but the rest of the state is screwed, The New Tropic, 2016. https://thenewtropic.com/ miami-beach-styrofoam/ There’s also a preemption on polystyrene products (styrofoam). ‣Florida Statute 500.90 - Passed in 2016 ‣March 16, Governor Rick Scott signed a food safety bill into law that included an amendment ending local bans on polystyrene ‣Amendment ﬁled by Representative Jake Raburn with support from the Retail Food Federation F.S. 500.90: 12 Regulation of polystyrene products preempted to department.—The regulation of the use or sale of polystyrene products by entities regulated under this chapter is preempted to the department. This preemption does not apply to local ordinances or provisions thereof enacted before January 1, 2016, and does not limit the authority of a local government to restrict the use of polystyrene by individuals on public property, temporary vendors on public property, or entities engaged in a contractual relationship with the local government for the provision of goods or services, unless such use is otherwise preempted by law. THE GOOD NEWS: 13 1.Florida Department of Environmental Protection, 2010. Retail Bags Report For the Legislature ‣SB 88: Preemption of Recyclable and Polystyrene Materials - Filed by State Senator Linda Stewart on November 27, 2018 ‣HB 6033: Preemption of Recyclable and Polystyrene Materials - House companion bill, ﬁled by State Representatives Anna Eskamani and Michael Grieco on February 6, 2019 CORAL GABLES 14 1.Plastic Bags, Coral Gables City Hall. https://www.coralgables.com/plasticbags 2. Court ruling throws Florida bag law into limbo, Resource Recycling, Inc, 2017. https://resource-recycling.com/plastics/ 2017/05/23/court-ruling-throws-ﬂorida-bag-law-limbo/ ‣December 2015 - Coral Gables commission tentatively agrees to ban use of expanded polystyrene. Didn't go into affect until after 2016 actions by Governor Scott and Representative Raburn. Bans begin in 2016 with Ordinance No. 2016-08 ‣May 2017 - Coral Gables ﬁrst Florida city to enact a ban of single- use carry out plastic bags with Ordinance No. 2017-13 #LETCITIESWORK 15 ‣December 2018 - St. Petersburg becomes ﬁrst Gulf Coast city to adopt a Styrofoam and micro-plastics ban ‣January 2019 - Largo becomes second Gulf Coast city to ban single-use plastics on city property ‣January 2019 - Fort Lauderdale prohibits the plastic straws’ sale or distribution in businesses, city facilities, and permitted events ‣January 2019 - Gainesville City Commission gave ﬁnal approval to a ban on plastic shopping bags and polystyrene food containers 1.Florida city votes to ban single-use plastic straws in restaurants, ClickOrlando.com, 2018. https://www.clickorlando.com/news/ ﬂorida-city-bans-single-use-plastic-straws-starting-next-year 16 ALL THIS TO SAY, IT’S OUR TURN. ‣Citizen support - Individual citizens reaching out and general, support of Atlantic Beach taking leadership in environmental and resiliency issues ‣Local groundswell - Formation and work of organizations like Beaches Go Green and St. Johns Riverkeeper ‣State legislature moving in the right direction - Recognizing the importance of home rule, allowing local governments to care for their own (ﬁngers crossed) NEXT STEPS: 17 ‣Engage stakeholders ‣Determine solution best for Atlantic Beach (via workshop)