Carlsbad Poised to Act on Plastic Pollution as Part of Citywide Sustainability Plan

Take Action to Support Plastic and Organic Waste Reduction in Carlsbad!

On Tuesday, Dec 14, the Carlsbad City Council will consider a resolution to accept city staff's completed Sustainable Materials Management Implementation Plan. The plan is largely a response to California Senate Bill 1383, which requires cities to provide organics collection (i.e. curbside composting) and a host food recovery programs starting in 2022. SB-1383 aims to help California reach a 75% reduction of organic waste sent to landfill by by 2025. Organic waste in landfills is responsible for 20% of the state's emissions of methane, a climate super pollutant that is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

The city plan also includes an important road map of recommended single-use plastic reduction measures for the council to consider next year. These include:

A prohibition on the use of EPS foam foodware by July 2023. Alternatives required to be reusable, compostable or marine degradable.
A plastic bag ban for retail establishments and restaurants to compliment the statewide bag ban, which mainly addresses grocery outlets and liquor stores. The proposed timeline recommends the bag bans to be enforced in July 2023 for retail and July 2024 for restaurants.
A ban on single-use plastic bottles at City facilities and City-affiliated events, enforceable by July 2023.
A citywide ban on intentional balloon releases due to the well-documented harm they cause to marine wildlife, also enforceable by July 2023.

Illustrated plastic foodware reduction timeline provided by the City (EPS foam ban + accessories upon request only)

Illustrated plastic bag ban timeline provided by the City

Illustrated balloon release and plastic bottle ban (for city facilities only) timeline provided by the City

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If and when adopted, this group of ordinances will be stronger than those recently approved in Vista and San Marcos and could become a model for other local jurisdictions to follow. Surfrider strongly supports Carlsbad's Road Map. If you agree that local action is required to address plastic pollution on our coast and in our ocean, please consider submitting a written comment and/or attending the virtual meeting to speak in support of the proposed Road Map. Use our button below to instantly email the council our templated letter of support.

INSTANTLY EMAIL THE COUNCIL

Comments must be received by 2pm on Tuesday, Dec 14. If you prefer to write your own comment, please address to clerk@carlsbadca.gov with Item 18: SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS MANAGEMENT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN in the Subject line.

Make Public Comment at the City Council Meeting

Prefer to join the ZOOM City Council meeting and provide a public comment? Participation details are below and are included in attached agenda. Carlsbad—December 14 at 3:00pm on Zoom (ZOOM LINK)See City Council Participation Tips HereHow to participate:

On Zoom: Join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device: Join Zoom using “ComputerAudio”. Raise your hand when the Clerk calls for speakers for the item you wish to comment on. Unmute yourself when called on by the Clerk.

If you have any questions or would like more information about how you can contribute, please send email Janis@surfridersd.org.