October 24, 2012
- San Mateo County adopts plastic bag ban, exempts restaurants
The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to adopt an ordinance that prohibits retail establishments from distributing single-use point-of-purchase bags in unincorporated areas of the county. The ordinance adopted by the Board of Supervisors exempts restaurants and nonprofits.
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August 23, 2012
- Assembly food packaging ban vote expected within the week
Restaurant operators and other industry players are strongly encouraged to contact their Assemblymembers to encourage them to vote against SB 568 (Lowenthal), which would effectively halt current efforts to recycle foam food containers across the state. A vote of the Assembly is expected within the next week.
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June 21, 2012
- Reminder: Commercial recycling requirement takes effect July 1
California's new commercial recycling law impending goes into effect July 1. Though many details are left for local jurisdictions to work out and local outreach and education efforts are expected, businesses and public entities that generate four cubic yards or more of waste per week and multifamily dwelling of five units or more are required to recycle.
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May 3, 2012
- Commercial recycling regulations take effect July 1
After several years of efforts by the California Restaurant Association and other business group to work with regulators on improving the state’s new commercial recycling mandate, the California Department of Resources recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) has issued frequently asked questions to help with guidance and compliance.
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May 3, 2012
- Solana Beach first San Diego city to impose plastic bag ban for retailers
The Solana Beach City Council passed an ordinance April 25 that bans all retailers, including restaurants, from distributing plastic bags. Retailers are only permitted to distribute paper or reusable bags and must levy a store charge of 10 cents per paper bag to encourage people to bring reusable bags. Nearly all the city’s restaurants, grocery stores and pharmacies have approximately three months to comply with the new rules.
By including restaurants, the law extends beyond what other jurisdictions have passed. The California Restaurant Association raised concern with the potential for cross contamination posed by reusable bags and urged the City to consider the food safety risk involved, and argued that restaurants should have the freedom of choice to determine what type of bag works best to maintain the integrity of their product.
For more information, contact Chris Duggan, local government affairs director, at 619.517.6435 or cduggan@calrest.org.
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