Polystyrene ban in South Lake Tahoe takes effect October 1

South Lake Tahoe joins at least 114 other entities in California in banning polystyrene, a type of plastic manufactured from non-renewable fossil fuels and synthetic chemicals that is not biodegradable and becoming a concern across the country.

Starting October 1, 2018, certain single use expanded polystyrene and plastic products will be banned in the City limits "in order to reduce and prevent the presence of this type of litter in the environment and to promote environmentally sustainable practices."

Included in the ban:

-No food provider shall sell or otherwise provide prepared food in EPS disposable
foodservice ware.
-No vendor shall sell or otherwise provide EPS foodservice ware or Expanded Polystyrene Products, including foam coolers, cups, plates, to-go products.
-No person shall use EPS foodservice ware or Expanded Polystyrene Products at a City Facility or at a special event regulated by the City of South Lake Tahoe's approved Special Event Guidelines.
-No food provider shall sell or otherwise provide plastic cutlery, plastic beverage straws, or plastic stirrers except upon request

Polystyrene comes in two forms: expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) which is made into cups, plates, take-out food containers, and packing materials, and solid polystyrene, which gets turned into plastic forks, CD and DVD cases, even smoke detector housings.

Styrofoam is how most of us usually refer to EPS, but that is actually a term trademarked by Dow Chemical.

The problem of many of the products addressed by the new ordinance is that they are both lightweight and aerodynamic, and thus able to be blown around and ended up in the lake, fields, meadows, gutters and storm drains, even when properly disposed of. Products are very brittle and break into small pieces easily, making cleanup an almost impossible task. Once broken down, wildlife think they are food items and ingest which can lead to choking or starvation.

Exemptions:
The following are exempt from the ordinance at this time:
1. Food prepared or packaged outside of the City, provided such food is not altered or repackaged within the City limits.
2. Raw meat, fish and other raw food trays.
3. Products made from Expanded Polystyrene which are wholly encapsulated or encased by a more durable material. Examples include surfboards, life preservers, and craft supplies which are wholly encapsulated or encased by a more durable material, and coolers encased in hard plastic.

Businesses may become exempt from the ban if, after one year, the conditions of the ordinance can be shown as causing a financial hardship or where "no reasonably feasible alternative exists to a specific and necessary Expanded Polystyrene Product."

Fines:
For a first violation can lead up to a $100 fine, a second violation up to $200, and up to $500 for each additional violation of the ordinance within a year.