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Land Use Committee advances ordinance to ban plastic straws and PFAS‑lined foodware in San Francisco
Summary
The Land Use Committee advanced an ordinance to prohibit single‑use plastic accessories and per‑and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in foodware, requiring BPI certification and on‑request distribution of accessories; the Department of the Environment outlined a phased implementation and the committee sent the file to the full Board with a positive recommendation.
San Francisco’s Land Use Committee advanced an ordinance on July 16, 2018, that would ban the sale and use of many single‑use plastic accessories — including straws, stirrers and cocktail picks — and prohibit foodware containing fluorinated chemicals known as PFAS.
Chair Katie Tang introduced the measure as part of a broader effort to reduce plastic pollution and highlighted the bill’s main provisions: a ban on non‑compostable and certain compostable plastics for accessories, an “ask‑first” policy so single‑use accessories are provided only on request or at self‑service stations, and a requirement that compostable foodware be certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI). Tang said there will be a medical‑need exception for plastic straws.
Debbie Rafael of the Department of…
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