Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Carolyn Bloede, Director, Office of Sustainability
Subject: Adoption of an Ordinance amending Chapter 4.107 of the San Mateo County Ordinance Code regulating the use of disposable food service ware
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt an ordinance amending Section 5 of Chapter 4.107 of the San Mateo County Ordinance Code regulating the use of disposable food service ware by food facilities, previously introduced on February 9, 2021, and waive the reading of the ordinance in its entirety.
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BACKGROUND:
In March 2011, this Board adopted Ordinance No. 04542 prohibiting the use of polystyrene-based disposable food service ware by food vendors in the unincorporated areas of the county. On February 25, 2020, this Board repealed and replaced Ordinance No. 04542 with Ordinance No. 04823, which is also known as the "Disposable Food Service Ware Ordinance" (Ordinance). The Ordinance focuses on reducing single-use plastic and other food service ware waste, improving the health and safety of San Mateo County community members, and helping the county keep its waterways clean and safe.
The Ordinance went into effect in March 2020 (around the same time the county shelter-in-place order went into effect) for the unincorporated areas, with the mandatory provisions scheduled to become operative and subject to enforcement in March 2021. This one year delay was to provide food facilities sufficient time to use up their existing non-conforming inventory of disposable food service ware.
DISCUSSION:
The restaurant industry has been especially hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to an economic impact study released by Yelp in September 2020, between March 2 and August 31, 2020, a total of 32,109 restaurants listed on its site have closed, with 61 percent of those restaurants closing permanently. Here in the Bay Area, local news agencies report that at least...
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