As of Feb. 6, a City of Del Mar ordinance prohibits single-use, non-compostable food service ware and single-use plastic beverage bottles at City facilities and City-sponsored events. The prohibition includes the sale of expanded polystyrene, or Styrofoam, coolers and ice chests.
Enforcement is expected to begin in August. During the six-month grace period, City staff will prepare and send informational materials to residents, business owners and visitors to explain what the ordinance means to them.
The ordinance builds upon earlier action to reduce plastic waste from the environment, including bans on: single-use plastic carryout bags (2016), Styrofoam and nonrecyclable plastic food service ware (2018), plastic straws and stirrers (2019), and balloons filled with gas lighter than air (2023).
The bans are part of a larger effort to move Del Mar toward becoming a zero-waste city and comply with state goals to divert trash from landfills.
Reducing solid waste and encouraging recycling are goals of the City’s Climate Action Plan.
Plastics and petroleum-based Styrofoam can be harmful on many levels. The materials can take hundreds of years to degrade and when they find their way to the ocean, small pieces can be ingested by marine life. People can face health risks after eating seafood that has been exposed to plastic toxins. Degrading plastic in landfills can leach toxic chemicals into groundwater.