Marin County steps up effort to abolish single-use plastics in food service
NOVATO -- Communities in Marin County are adopting ordinances banning single-use plastics. While some businesses were already moving in that direction, others worry that their food products won't keep in biodegradable containers.
"We're so happy to have nine of the at least 11 cities that either adopted or in the process of adopting this ordinance," said supervisor Dennis Rodoni, who represents District 4 on the Marin County Board of Supervisors. "That's really our goal -- is to go county-wide. Our waste stream is county-wide and we really can make a difference county-wide."
Novato is one of the cities which passed an ordinance set to take effect on Nov. 10. San Rafael is considering a similar move -- its council will discuss the issue on Monday night.
Supervisor Rodoni said these regulations help cities in Marin County fall in line with state requirements on recycling.
"This is the perfect time because businesses and restaurants and takeout establishments are restocking up as to what they're going to be using in the future," he told KPIX on Monday. "There's never a great time for this but we felt this was a good time because people are re-establishing their business."
The county wanted to take steps to make this change before COVID but the process got delayed during the pandemic. As businesses rebound from the losses of the past three years, some are embracing the new rules since they were already phasing out single-use plastics.
"We were kind of already in that motion of making sure things were compostable, biodegradable and the right kind of recyclable," said Patrick Odenthal, the general manager of Finnigan's Marin in Novato. "Just making sure people are trained and informed about what the right and wrong product is in your restaurant and making sure it's actually getting recycled."
None of this comes without a cost, of course, given the many challenges restaurants face in the current economy.
"The restaurant faces plenty of challenges: costs, labor, all the day-to-day things that were already a challenge that have gotten a little bit trickier," Odenthal said.
Some businesses say the transition will not be easy as they sell food items like soup and other hot or greasy dishes that need plastic products in order to deliver to-go orders. Takeout is a major source of revenue for them so they worry what a plastic-free future would mean for them in the near term.
Rodoni says they are prioritizing education even after the ordinance becomes law. Volations and fines won't be imposed for several months.
"We have an exemption when a product just doesn't align well with what's available. We hope that the industry catches up with us now," Rodoni said.
Marin County is also offering grants up to $500 for businesses who want to be early adopters and restock their inventory with county-approved recyclable and compostable products.
