How to Get Your City to Ban Plastics
In 2018, before the California state Straw Ban, I decided to try to pursue a Straw ban in the local city of Pleasanton. I wanted the city to only allow the distribution of straws, stir sticks and other similar items by request only. And if possible, for those items to be made from a fiber-based compostable material.
At the time I had been lobbying with Citizens’ Climate Lobby as a volunteer for about a year. So, I had a good understanding of the legislative process. I knew that nearly any citizen could ask their representatives for something. The key was convincing your leader that what you want is also what’s best for the rest of the community.
So, having never pursued something like this on my own, I started trying to figure out how to pass a Straw ban.
Make a Plan
As I mentioned in my first blog post “Accidental Activist“, I’ve been a volunteer with the Surfrider Foundation for over a decade. And by 2018 I had participated in countless campaigns but never had I built one from scratch. Before, I was always executing someone else’s plan but now it was time for me to put together all the things I had learned and be the one to lead the way.
I used to be the Chair for the Pleasanton Committee on Energy and the Environment, so I knew that was a great place to start. Every city has several committees dedicated to different priorities. Oftentimes there’s a planning committee that determines what new buildings will be constructed or a library commission to help keep the library running smoothly. These commissions and committees are different in every city, but the seats are always filled with volunteers from the community.
So, having been the former Chair and still knowing many of the people on the committee, my plan was to propose a Straw ban similar to the city of Alameda’s. At the time Alameda’s straw ban was the best one I could find. So, I wanted to give an example to follow. By showing that other cities have already accomplished what you want, it’s easier for your city leaders to agree. It also gives city leaders a blueprint to work off of.
I also drafted slides on why I thought the city should implement this type of ordinance and sent all my supporting documents including a copy of the Alameda ordinance to the committee.
After presenting to the committee they suggested I go talk to someone in Alameda to see what they learned in implementing their ordinance. Which brings me to my next point.
Ask For Help
Asking for help is crucial to getting anything done. I had met Jill Buck, founder of the Go Green Initiative, at one of the committee meetings in Pleasanton and I knew she would be able to put me in contact with someone in Alameda. She gave me Kerry Parker’s name with the city of Alameda.
I reached out to Kerry Parker and set up a meeting with her. She gave me great insight into how they passed their ordinance. The key was that someone had gone to all the schools and had the students write letters to city council asking them to do something about plastic pollution. In the end the city council said they passed the ordinance so they wouldn’t let the kids down.
So, I added “student letters” to my plan which led me to my next point.
Gather Support
City council members want to know that enough people agree with a proposed action. And sometimes the best way to show that is through the youngest citizens.
Since the Go Green Initiative is based in Pleasanton, Jill gave me the name of a 4th grade science teacher who was eager to teach her students about plastic pollution.
After connecting with that teacher, I screened the Straws film to a group of 150 local 4th graders and had asked Jackie Nunez from the film to come speak to the kids about plastic pollution.
Afterwards, I had the students work with their teachers to write letters to city council asking them to help fight plastic pollution.
I love student letters. They are so good at drilling right down to the point and they are so creative!
Ask City Council
After gathering the letters, I asked Jackie and some of the students to come speak with me at City Council. I presented the stack of letters and asked that any single-use plastic item to be upon request only, instead of freely (and oftentimes unnecessarily) given out.
Basically, if I didn’t ask for it, I didn’t want it.
The city council members loved the students. The students had fun and their parents were incredibly proud.
In the end, the city council agreed with what I was proposing and said it was the kids that really pushed them to do something. So, the council voted unanimously to add a single-use disposables ordinance to their 2019-2020 work plan.
“Disposables” is even better than what I was asking for because it’s not specific to any material. In their eyes, anything that is thrown away should be considered in the ordinance.
Follow Up
After getting city council to commit to something, it’s important to follow up with their commitment. The city is depending on a local organization called StopWaste to help draft this type of ordinance. StopWaste is a public agency tasked with reducing waste in Alameda County. So, I talked to StopWaste to see if I could help.
StopWaste is currently working on a two-part ordinance that will affect all of Alameda County–not just the city of Pleasanton. The first part being simply to make most disposable items to be upon request only. (This is what I was asking for.) This first part will be passed across all the cities if approved by the StopWaste Board of Directors.
The second part will be more involved, and cities will have the option to opt-in. This part of the ordinance will require restaurants to provide reusable plates, cups, utensils, and etc for on-site dining. In many cities that have implemented this type of ordinance, it included all restaurants–even fast food ones like McDonald’s! Can you imagine getting a reusable fork to eat your pancakes at McDonald’s? Awesome, right?
Be Flexible
If you want your city to ban plastics, (or really do anything) you need to be flexible. Things don’t always go as planned but if you keep asking questions and searching for a path forward, you’ll find people that will help you along the way.
The key is to take the first step. You might not have any clue what you’re doing, but by taking the first step you’re already ahead of most everyone else.
Just One Person
With plastic pollution being such an overwhelming problem it’s easy to feel like one person makes no difference. But this process reminded me that one person can indeed make a huge difference! I had an idea and with enough persistence I was able to start an ordinance that could affect the nearly 100,000 Pleasanton residents and all of those who work and visit the city!
What do you think? Are you interested in starting a plastic ban in your city? Tell me in the comments if you are and I can help!
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