In an effort to lessen Santa Barbara's contribution to marine debris pollution, City Council Members are considering a joint ban on food packaging polystyrene and plastic retail bags. The ordinance was urged by a group of college students, who presented to the city council the dangers of marine debris and plastic toxicity.
Both plastic bags and foamed polystyrene food packaging are light weight and easily blown into waterways where they present a choking hazard to wildlife. Many coastal areas that have federally-imposed "impaired waterways" already spend millions annually removing marine debris. The vast majority of marine debris is plastic.
What CAW is Doing:
- Support our Marine Debris and Food Packaging Waste Reduction Bill AB 904 (Feuer), which would do away with the most problematic forms of plastic food packaging.