From: gainesvillesun

The initiative would require residents to recycle more trash and ban restaurants from providing Styrofoam containers and plastic bags.

Gainesville city commissioners were one vote shy last week from moving forward on banning Styrofoam containers and single-use plastic bags across the city, a move that would force business owners to pay more for commonly used items.

Instead, the commission will likely wait until 2019 before revisiting its push to become a “zero-waste” city.

Commissioners deadlocked Thursday at 3-3 to move forward with the ban. Commissioner Charles Goston was absent.

The initiative would require residents to recycle more trash and ban restaurants from providing Styrofoam containers and plastic bags. If passed, the ordinance would have given the community about a year before it took effect, and would have fined those who don’t comply.

Part of the plan also would require households to separate food waste to use as compostable material.

Commissioner Adrian Hayes-Santos has pushed the zero-waste initiative and says the city should take action now, rather than later.

“Just being out in the community, I think this is something our community wants us to do,” he said.

Some restaurant owners, however, say city leaders are moving much too fast.

Danny Hughes, owner of Loosey’s Downtown Gainesville, said he and other restaurant owners have been following the developments of the zero-waste goal. He said he supports the idea, but to pass the ordinance in its current form would cause several businesses to close due to increased costs.

“Other things that I think are being missed, very largely, is plastic cups and straws,” Hughes said. “They are every bit, if not more so, damaging and wasted at a much higher rate than Styrofoam and plastic bags.”

Hughes said if the city expects business owners to forward the increased costs to customers, their customers will leave.

Sandwich Inn’s owner, Ashley Rella, said she would like to see more community education on the topic before its approval. She said most of her business is from take-out orders, which means she often buys stacks of Styrofoam containers.

She said she can buy a case of 500 containers for $31. Environmental-friendly, to-go containers will run her $120 a case, she said.

“I think you’ve got more restaurants that are willing to cooperate with you if we can get on the same page than we are to be against you,” Rella said.

Assistant City Manager Dan Hoffman said the city would likely create a campaign to educate the public about the changes. He said the city still needs to collect more data for the effects on commercial and residential owners.

Other cities across the country have begun pushing to become “zero-waste” cities, including Austin, Texas; Boulder, Colorado, and San Francisco.

Hayes-Santos said California has already banned single-use plastic bags statewide, which has resulted in less garbage on beaches.

Commissioner Harvey Ward said he wanted to move forward with the initiative, but that the city should work to inform businesses first. He said he also wants to ban plastic straws.

“We need to do something,” he said. “What we’ve been doing is not acceptable, and not something I want to explain to my future grandchildren.”

Commissioner Helen Warren said she believes small local businesses are already making strides to meet the city’s possible future rules, as are national companies.

“I just think Styrofoam is one of the most obnoxious items out there,” she said. “It is a movement that has had its time and I do believe the removal of Styrofoam is really something that this city can stand up for.”