One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
Plastic Utensils In Your Takeout Order Could Soon Be Gone
Grand Central Market: Many of downtown restaurants were closed, and those that remain open were take-out only. People were social distancing as required, and security guards at the entrances limited the number of people inside.
(
Chava Sanchez
/
LAist
)
If you're picking up takeout in the city of L.A. you may not be getting plastic forks, paper napkins or slew of other disposable items — unless you ask for them. Thank — or blame — a motion passed by the L.A. City Council yesterday aimed at reducing plastic waste and saving restaurants money.
If Mayor Eric Garcetti signs the ordinance, it will go into effect this November for restaurants and stores with more than 26 employees. And everyone selling food will have to follow the rule by next April.
Graham Hamilton calls it a small step in the right direction. He's the L.A. manager for the Surfrider Foundation, which advocates for cleaner oceans. But Hamilton says even more needs to be done.
"We know that plastic pollutes at every point in its lifecycle. As a fossil fuel byproduct it pollutes when it's being extracted from the ground. It pollutes during the manufacturing process, during the transportation process, and obviously during the consumer/disposal process."
— Graham Hamilton
Hamilton says about 22 billion lbs. of plastic end up in the ocean each year — give or take a few billion.
The real challenge? He says it's moving away from our reliance on so many disposable products.
What's On The List
Page 20 of LA City Disposables Ordinance
Contributed to DocumentCloud by KPCC Documents (Southern California Public Radio) • View document or read text
Page 21 of LA City Disposables Ordinance
Contributed to DocumentCloud by KPCC Documents (Southern California Public Radio) • View document or read text
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
