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Ulster County delays public hearing on thermoform plastics ban to allow broader outreach
Summary
A planned public hearing on restricting polystyrene and certain thermoform plastics was postponed for one month so the county can broaden outreach to restaurants and prepare procurement lists of 20 alternative products and educational materials.
The committee voted on June 3 to postpone a July public hearing on a proposed local law restricting disposable polystyrene foam and certain thermoform plastics to allow additional outreach and to give restaurants and other stakeholders time to respond. Chair Hewitt said moving the public hearing would allow time to develop fact sheets and product alternatives; procurement staff reported they are compiling a list of about 20 alternative items (plates, clamshells, straws) to distribute to local food-service businesses.
Some legislators favored moving ahead to public hearing despite outstanding definitional questions about "thermoform" material types, while others argued the process should pause to ensure adequate public notice and input from the county's roughly 800 regulated food-service establishments. "A month doesn't give us enough time to get the word out to all the restaurants," one legislator said in support of postponement. The motion to postpone passed by voice vote.
Next steps: staff will finalize and circulate the alternatives list and educational materials and will re-notice the public hearing after a one-month pause.
