Bye Bye Plastics!

Well, not all, but still good progress.  At the recommendation of the Sustainability Advisory Committee (SAC), the Del Mar City Council passed an expansion of our current plastic ordinances on January 6, which will go into effect 6 months later.  In this new ordinance, the city will ban the use of ALL non-compostable single-use food disposable service ware and Styrofoam coolers.  This restriction includes plates, drinkware, cup lids, and all utensils, in addition to the previously banned plastic straws, coffee stirrers, single-use plastic bags, and Styrofoam take-out containers, which were outlawed in ordinances passed in 2016-2019. The ordinance also bans the distribution of single-use plastic beverage bottles in all City facilities and at City-sponsored or City-permitted events.  City staff, in consultation with SAC, will provide outreach and education to all City businesses, restaurants, and food service providers.  Big thanks to Kaitlyn Elliott-Norgrove and Clem Brown for drafting and supporting this new ordinance.  Many of our neighboring cities have already passed similar ordinances.

On the state-wide level, no more plastic bags will be provided at grocery stores as of January 1, 2026.  Our state Senator Catherine Blakespear authored the 2024 bill that closed the loophole in the 2016 bill that banned single-use plastic bags.  In that older law, thicker plastic bags were allowed, with the logic that they are reusable.  However, most of the thicker bags were not reused, and they are also not recyclable.  Paper bags will still be allowed, but it is best if you just bring your own reusable bags to the grocery.

Plastic is made from fossil fuels, and plastic production is responsible for 3.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions as well as releasing many toxic substances.  Once plastics are made, they remain around for thousands of years, breaking down into smaller and smaller particles.  These microplastics are ingested by marine life and enter the food chain.  Microplastics have now been found in our brains, blood, and in fetuses and newborns. Plastic pollution from discarded plastics choke our oceans, waterways, and endanger marine life.  We must curb plastic production and use to preserve our environment and our health.

Del Mar Climate, a group of local residents who organize symposia twice a year on various climate-related topics, will focus on plastic pollution and health hazards of plastics at their April 2026 symposium.