Concord bans single-use plastic utensils, condiment packets

CONCORD -- Concord city officials voted this week to prohibit restaurants from providing single-use plastic utensils and condiment packets unless customers ask for them.

The Concord City Council unanimously approved the ordinance at its meeting Tuesday to bring the city in compliance with 2021's Assembly Bill 1276 passed by the state Legislature and signed into law by the governor. Local governments are required to begin enforcing the law this year.

Restaurants violating the ordinance would be given a warning on their first and second offense. Subsequent violations would be punishable by a fine of $25 per day, up to an annual limit of $300.

City officials have already communicated with the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce to educate business owners in an effort to avoid financial penalties.

Third-party delivery platforms like Doordash and GrubHub will also be required to add the option to request single-use food accessories as part of a food order.

The law is intended to both reduce costs for restaurants and reduce the amount of waste produced by customers discarding single-use food accessories that they don't need.

"Hopefully with this passing, we will start to see less ketchup packets and sporks in our streets and ultimately less in our landfills," said Craig Blythe, administrative services manager in the city's Public Works Department.

The council waived a second, ratifying reading of the ordinance as part of its vote. As a result, the ordinance will take effect Dec. 8.