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The City of Palo Alto passed Phase I of the Foodware Waste Reduction Ordinance – part of the Zero Waste plan for the city – on Monday, June 10th unanimously. The plan is only Phase I – and starting in January 2020, bans plastic straws, utensils, stirrers, drink plugs, produce bags, and other small accessories in favor of reusable or compostable alternatives, and receipts given only on request. Plastic retail bags have already been banned in Palo Alto.

Disposable Foodware Reduction Plan 4.22.19 (1)

Here are articles that describe the ban: https://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2019/06/11/with-bans-on-straws-produce-bags-city-seeks-to-curb-plastic-waste

https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/06/10/palo-alto-becomes-first-bay-area-city-to-ban-plastic-produce-bags-but-is-it-enough/

The full Zero Waste plan can be read here: https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/documents/66620

Transition Palo Alto supported the adoption of this ban and switch to reusables. If you’d like to join efforts to do more, email rani pj20*cornell.edu (replace * with @).