San Diego Bans the Foam!
Days until Council Meeting:
The evidence is overwhelmingly clear: phasing out single use plastics improves our personal well-being, environment,
wildlife, and economy.
It is time for San Diego to join 116 other California jurisdictions who have banned expanded polystyrene
(EPS; e.g.,“Styrofoam®”), one of the most harmful plastics.
Tell
Mayor Kevin Faulconer and the
San Diego City Council that you want a comprehensive ordinance banning the consumption of expanded
polystyrene (EPS; e.g.,“Styrofoam®”) food containers, and other disposable polystyrene and polypropylene
products such as utensils, and straws.
Sign the action alert to encourage the City of San Diego to protect our environment, ocean and health
by joining cities across the nation in banning these harmful pollutants.
Supported by:
List the orgs here
The Plastics Problem in San Diego
Facts about Expanded Polystyrene (EPS)
- Styrofoam (trademark Dow Chemical) is probably the most common EPS product you know.
- EPS "photodegrades", which means it breaks down into smaller pieces, but it never disappears from this
Earth. - EPS is one of the most common debris on our beaches. In San Diego alone, local volunteers have picked
up 16,000+ pieces of EPS from weekend beach cleanups alone. Over 90% of ocean debris is made of plastic. - EPS leeches styrene into your food. Styrene is an endocrine disruptor and can cause reproductive and
developmental problems; it is found in nearly all human tissue samples. - San Diego's Styrofoam "recycling program" ships all relevant waste to Corona, CA, where recycling rates
are comparable to the national average of
less than 1%, which means 99% of your Styrofoam will just go to the landfill.
Facts about Polypropylene (PP)
- Your plastic utensils are probably made of PP (#5 plastic).
-
Technically, it is recyclable, but San Diego's recycling center, EDCO, has confirmed that it
does not recycle your plastic utensils made of polypropylene. It goes into the landfill. - Plastics will continue breaking down to microscopic sizes, where it acts as a sponge for toxic chemicals,
which then end up in
our food chain. The average shellfish consumer will ingest more than 6000 microplastics per
year. - Marine animals, including birds and turtles, die from eating plastics that they believe to be food.
The Proposed Solution in City Council
DID YOU KNOW?
Act now.
Join the race.
It is estimated that plastics will outnumber fish in our ocean by 2050. We have to act quickly to make sure
this doesn't become reality, and we can start right here in San Diego.
Individuals
San Diego residents can make a big difference by signing the Action Alert. It takes 30 seconds to
complete, but it sends an email to ALL San Diego Council Members and Mayor Faulconer himself.
Flood their inboxes. Let them know this matters to you.
Businesses
San Diego businesses can play a pivotal role in influencing the City Council vote. If you own a restaurant,
sign our Restaurant Sign On Letter to let them know your business is on board with the ban. If
you're already EPS-free, let them know your business practices are responsible and resilient.