Honorable Mayor and Members of the Hermosa Beach City Council Regular Meeting of August 27, 2019
Title
RESOLUTION SUPPORTING SENATE BILL 54 (ALLEN) AND
ASSEMBLY BILL 1080 (GONZALES), THE CALIFORNIA CIRCULAR
ECONOMY AND PLASTIC POLLUTION REDUCTION ACT
(Assistant to the City Manager Nico De Anda-Scaia)
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Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a Resolution (Attachment 1) supporting Senate Bill 54 (SB 54) and Assembly Bill 1080 (AB 1080), the California Circular Economy and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act.
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Background:
On September 11, 2012, City Council adopted Ordinance No. 12-1332, adding Chapter 8.64 to the Hermosa Beach Municipal Code to ban polystyrene food service ware and amending Chapter 1.10 to make violations of Chapter 8.64 subject to administrative penalty procedures. This ordinance addresses the local environmental and public health impacts by prohibiting the sale, use, and distribution of polystyrene packaging for foods and drinks packaged or repackaged within the City.
On September 1, 2015, City Council adopted ordinance No. 15-0648 banning the use of plastic carryout bags and imposing a charge for recyclable paper bags in order to reduce the number of plastic bags in the Santa Monica Bay, to encourage customers to bring their own bags to the store, and to reduce waste. This ordinance prohibits any retail establishment in the City of Hermosa Beach from providing plastic single-use carryout bags to customers for the purpose of carrying goods away from the point of sale. The ordinance was revised as a result of SB 270 that regulates the City’s grocery stores, retail stores with a pharmacy, convenience stores, food marts, and liquor stores.
On July 9, 2019, City Council requested that staff develop and return with an ordinance to expand on the City’s current ordinances to include a ban on certain polystyrene products, single-use plastic products, and single-use products to further reduce their negative impacts on the environment and public health and to achieve consistency with the neighboring Manhattan Beach ordinance. A Public Hearing to consider this ordinance was scheduled for August 27, 2019 but will now be continued to a future meeting, tentatively in December 2019.
Discussion:
SB 54 and AB 1080 would reduce plastic pollution that enters the waste stream by source-reducing single-use packaging and priority single use plastic products (most littered in the state) to ensure that all single-use packaging and priority single-use plastic products in California are recyclable or compostable by 2030. Eliminating non-reusable, non-recyclable and non-compostable products and reducing packaging is the most effective and least expensive way to protect the health of people, wildlife, and the environment. Many reliable and reusable alternatives already exist. SB 54 and AB 1080 would reduce the amount of single-use plastic waste that compromises the health of our communities. It is also a step in the right direction in developing in-state recycling markets that will create new jobs.
Staff believes SB 54 and AB 1080 are consistent with the City’s current ordinances and direction on expanding the ban on certain polystyrene products, single-use plastic products, and single-use products. Therefore, staff recommends that City Council adopt a resolution supporting the passage of SB 54 and AB 1080.
General Plan Consistency:
PLAN Hermosa, the City’s General Plan, was adopted by the City Council in August 2017. This report and associated recommendations support several PLAN Hermosa goals and policies that are listed below.
Goal 5. The stormwater management system is safe, sanitary, and environmentally and fiscally sustainable
• 5.7 Stormwater permits. Strictly implement, enforce, and monitor MS4 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (NPDES) Permit requirements through stormwater ordinances.
Goal 6. Hermosa Beach is a low or zero-waste community with convenient and effective options for recycling, composting, and diverting waste from landfills.
• 6.4 Material source reduction. Support and enforce requirements to minimize the use of nonrecyclable materials or materials commonly found on the beach, such as plastic bags and polystyrene.
• 6.5 Recycled materials. Encourage and support the sale of products that minimize packaging or are made from recycled materials.
• 6.10 Evaluate recycling and waste diversion opportunities. Periodically evaluate and consider new opportunities to achieve greater waste diversion rates.
Fiscal Impact:
There are no fiscal impacts from the recommendations presented in this report.
Attachments:
1. SB 54 and AB 1080 Fact Sheet
2. Draft Resolution supporting SB 54 and AB 1080
Respectfully Submitted by: Nico De Anda-Scaia, Assistant to the City Manager
Noted for Fiscal Impact: Viki Copeland, Finance Director
Approved: Suja Lowenthal, City Manager