Effort to curb unnecessary plastic utensils for takeout and delivery

LOS ANGELES, CA – Today Councilmember Bob Blumenfield introduced legislation that would pave the way for a new ‘Plastic Utensils-On-Request’ ordinance in the City of Los Angeles. In conjunction with the pending ‘Straws-On-Request’ ordinance, Blumenfield is seeking to curtail the impact that plastic utensils are having on the environment and the aesthetic quality of local communities.

“Now more than ever, Los Angeles needs to lead strong environmental efforts and I believe that as the second largest City in the nation, we can make a big ecological difference by thinking twice about how much we need wasteful plastics, such as utensils,” said Blumenfield. “Many people have that special drawer in the kitchen packed to the brim with extra forks and knives from takeout or delivery and I believe it is sensible to ask consumers if they really need more.”

With over 8.8 billion metric tons of plastic in the ocean and over 90% of plastic not being recycled, Blumenfield believes that Los Angeles must continue to curb the use of plastics and incentivize responsible disposal. Cities such as Seattle and San Francisco have passed full plastic straw bans and many other municipalities are adopting new environmental standards to combat similar waste. Companies like Starbucks, American Airlines, Hyatt and the Walt Disney Company have all announced efforts to stop offering plastic straws as well.

Blumenfield stated, “We need to do everything we can to stop the onslaught of plastic flowing into our oceans and that starts with each of us making smarter decisions. Much like when we reduced the use of single use plastic bags, we can make it clear to businesses large and small that the days of unnecessary plastic utensils are over.”

Blumenfield’s motion specifically instructs the Bureau of Sanitation (BOS) to report to the City Council in 60 days on the feasibility of implementing a Plastic Utensils-On-Request ordinance which requires restaurants, and other food service providers, to only give plastic utensils when a customer requests them.

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