Sonoma County Sets its sights on zero waste

Most cities in Sonoma County have now passed Polystyrene Ban and Disposable Food Service Ware Ordinances, which bans polystyrene foam containers,  requires other takeout food ware to be compostable or recyclable (no “compostable” plastic: not accepted at compost facilities), and mandates that utensils, condiment packets, straws and lids only be given out upon request by customers  

• Santa Rosa is the latest city to pass an ordinance:  Santa Rosa City Council bans single-use disposable food ware beginning Jan. 1, 2022.  
• For a list of others cities that have passed, scroll down to chart on this page

Please help report non-compliant restaurants/ businesses in Cloverdale, Healdsburg, Petaluma, Sebastopol, and Windsor (cities where the ordinance is now in effect) by filling out the simple online form on Zero Waste Sonoma website: Disposable Food Service Ware and Polystyrene…

So we need  a new strategy to push back on the plastics industry who lobby hard to defeat these bills.   Brainstorm with us at our Sept 16th meeting on new strategies to end plastics pollution.  

If you haven’t yet, watch The Story of Plastic for an in-depth understanding of the intersection of plastic, the fossil fuel industry, chemical companies, social justice and our environment.  Go here for how to watch, a preview and so much more on plastic.  https://www.storyofplastic.org/

THE BILLS BANNING SINGLE USE PLASTICS (AB 1080 AND SB54) ARE TOP PRIORITY CLIMATE BILLS!  Take action before the Legislative Session ends on Aug 31. 

SB 54 and AB 1080 are companion bills requiring manufacturers and retailers in California to reduce single-use plastic packaging and products by 75 percent by 2030. After 2030, all single-use plastics sold in the state would need to be compostable or recyclable.

 WHY

• Banning single use plastics is a critical step to a zero-emissions, zero-waste economy. 
• Plastics are made from fossil fuel–from cheap by-products of fracking.
• China no longer accepts cheap plastics for recycling. Plastic recycling is no longer an option.
• Help vulnerable communities near plastic production facilities, highways used for shipping, and incinerators or landfills. 
• Address the plastic boom caused by COVID-19
• Provide financial relief for local governments that spend millions on litter clean up every year
• Create thousands of green jobs in California

HOW TO TAKE ACTION

Click here for information on how to email your Senator or Assemblymember. This link also provides sample scripts to urge them to pass the Single Use Plastics bills into law. The offices have been overwhelmed with phone calls lately and have asked for constituents to email instead.

Click here for the social media toolkit!

Watch The Story of Plastic for an in depth understanding of the intersection of plastic, the fossil fuel industry, chemical companies, social justice and our environment.  Go here for how to watch, a preview and so much more on plastic.

How can you avoid single use shopping bags?

• Instead of using single-use paper or plastic bags at check-out, load your paid-for groceries back into your shopping cart. 
• When you wheel the cart to your car, transfer the items into the bags in your trunk. 
• Or- if you walked to the store,  transfer items into your bags outside the store.

Plant a garden and learn to compost

• how to compost and why its good for the climate
• Virtual workshops in English and Spanish on how to compost at home from the UC Master Gardeners

ZERO WASTE DURING S.I.P. TIMES

Many have been discouraged about zero waste during COVID times. No carry-in shopping bags, no bulk foods, no farmer’s markets.  DON’T BE. These are transformative times and the will and ingenuity of the people will make lemonade of the lemon times.  There still is plenty we can do to advance the movement. Here are suggestions for your consideration:

1)     RETHINK – Many can’t print documents because they don’t have their work printer. Make a plan to continue to get by without as much of the ink and paper use.

2)     REPLACE MATERIALS– We can use this time away from ziplocks to form a plan to replace them. Tupperware and reused plastic bread bags work well. You will like this project MUCH more if you get recycle ALL containers and lids you don’t like (do it), and buy matching sets of the right sizes

3)     REPLACE/REDUCE –  Running out of precious paper towels?  Never been a better time to make a kitchen drawer filled with clean folded rags and begin using them for floor and counter clean ups. You’ll need a small “hamper” box under the sink for the clean ones. Pull out and add with any laundry load. Refold, reload drawer. Old, cut-up towels work well. Save money, save paper products.

4)     REFUSE  – Cut down on your junk mail. Contact orgs and publishers that are plugging up your mailbox.

5)     REFUSE – We can refuse to buy or take drinks in plastic bottles. Choose glass or aluminum containers.

6)     REDUCE – We can’t buy in bulk, but we can buy larger packages with less individual wrappings.

7)     REDUCE – We can bake our own granola bars and not have to waste the individual wrappers (wax paper wrapping works).

8)     REUSE – Have too much recycling? Two tin cans can be made into an old-fashioned telephone. A rinsed bleach or milk plastic bottle can become a bird feeder or child’s watering can.  A wipe bottle and some dry rice inside becomes a shaker instrument.  OR…just give your kids a huge box of all the (clean, safe) recycling and a roll of masking tape and they will make a fancy castle, or Recyclops monster, or fire station.

 9)     REUSE – No, we can’t bring our bags into stores, but we can reuse paper bags for garbage or spread them over areas of the garden to get rid of weeds. Paper bags make an awesome kid hat – roll it up from the end to fit the head. Let them decorate it.