To reduce Millbrae’s environmental footprint and address concerns regarding harmful waste production, officials agreed to join the growing local movement banning restaurants and eateries from providing plastic foodware.
The Millbrae City Council unanimously agreed during a meeting Tuesday, Jan. 27, to move toward disallowing distribution of utensils, plates, cups, bowls and any other containers or related items that are made from plastic.
The vote arrives in advance of a similar, expected decision from the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, which Millbrae officials hope will provide regional leadership on the communication and enforcement effort notifying local businesses of the rules.
To that end, Millbrae officials aligned their calendar with the county’s plan to begin the ban in March 2022, citing hopes that the delayed implementation will yield businesses sufficient time to recover economically from COVID-19 and identify alternative materials for future use.
Vice Mayor Anne Oliva said she does not expect the new regulation to be punitive, and directed city officials to work alongside the local business community to assure everyone is aware of the forthcoming change.
“The goal here is that we want to be compliant for the best of all of us,” she said. “But we don’t want to make anyone suffer through an ordinance. And I’d appreciate it if we could make it user friendly.”
Officials concurred, and committed to an ambitious community outreach program featuring notifications in a variety of languages designed to assure all local merchants are aware of the mandate.
“Our goal isn’t to punish them, but it is to work with them,” said Environmental Programs Director Shelly Reider.
Under the new regulation, all utensils and foodware must be made from compostable material such as paper, wood, bamboo, sugarcane or wheat stalk. Enforcement will be based on complaints.
The move is necessary because plastic utensils and other material provided with meals damage the environment, occupies landfills and often ends up collected in the city’s stormwater flow which can pollute the San Francisco Bay.
Mills High School junior Nathan Choi led a chorus of local students and environmental advocates urging officials to adopt the new regulation.
“The amount of plastic we distribute is unnecessary and harmful. That’s why I ask you to pass and approve this ordinance as soon as possible. Yes, it may be inconvenient for restaurants to revise their workflow. But I believe this is a win win,” he said. “Restaurants save money on buying plastic utensils and the amount of plastic circulating in our community is greatly reduced.”
Councilwoman Gina Papan said she hoped Millbrae could move ahead of the county in adopting the ordinance, and establish the restriction in January 2022.
But Papan’s colleagues noted the accelerated timeline may confuse the messaging led by county officials. Additionally, Councilman Anders Fung said the additional time may be needed for restaurateurs and business owners to exhaust their stockpile of plastic materials.
For his part, Councilman Reuben Holober said he did not believe the head start is necessary.
“I don’t think the two-month delay will be significant,” he said, regarding the difference between the proposed January establishment and March date favored by county officials.
More broadly though, Holober joined his colleague in backing the regulation.
“I’m very much in support,” he said.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Woodside Musical Theatre proudly presents Jesus Christ Superstar in Concert — the company’s … Read moreJESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR in Concert
“Side-splittingly funny and brilliantly chaotic” Read moreThe Play That Goes Wrong
Dirk van Ulden said:
LittleFoot said:
Good luck. There is no more selfish + ugly community than Burlingame.
CA Is Burning said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(1) comment
Great to hear Millbrae is taking steps to rid us of plastic utensils! Congratulations!
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.