-
If you want breaking news sent to your email just click here.More >> If you want breaking news sent to your email just click here.More >>
CAPITOLA, Calif. -- Capitola may become the first Central Coast city to ban the sale of polystyrene foam products in stores, moving closer to the mayor's stated goal of a Styrofoam-free environment.
Thursday night, the Capitola City Council is scheduled to vote on an amendment to its existing ban on Styrofoam food service ware that would prohibit any retail vendor within the city limits from selling polystyrene foam products. The proposed ban would not impact products packaged outside of the city.
Capitola Mayor Dennis Norton and a representative from the marine conservation nonprofit Save Our Shores conducted a public outreach campaign to roughly 20 businesses last month to inform them of the proposal. Norton said all businesses were receptive to the idea.
"Everything from department stores to local shipping agencies, such as UPS, gave us a positive response and told us there are alternatives, not only on their shelves already but that they can bring in to give more variety," said Norton.
Gabe Coren, who manages the UPS store in Capitola, said the ban would have a minimal impact on business. The store sells polystyrene foam packaging peanuts, which Coren said were a superior packing product, but it has alternatives, like biodegradable peanuts and bubble cushions.
BevMo in Capitola sells Styrofoam coolers, but store manager Rick Kertz said he supports the ban, adding the store has non-polystyrene foam coolers it can sell instead.
A spokeswoman with Rite Aid would not comment on the proposal, but said the company would comply with laws on the books.
Norton said he is proposing expanding the existing Styrofoam ban to protect the environment. He pointed to a coastal cleanup event last weekend, organized by Save Our Shores, where more than 4,000 volunteers cleared roughly 17,500 pounds of trash and recyclables from Central Coast beaches and creeks.
"We're taking baby steps here, making this process easy for people and not creating hardship on local businesses," said Norton. "Next step would be to get foam containers such as in meat departments and that type of thing, but we're not asking for that now."
Customers cannot find a Styrofoam take-out food container anywhere in Santa Cruz County. In Monterey County, Salinas became the latest city to pass a ban on polystyrene foam food service ware last month.
Norton said he hopes counties and municipalities follow Capitola's lead, in hopes of completely ridding the environment of Styrofoam products.
