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<br />January 16, 2019, Work Session – Item 1 <br />EUGENE CITY COUNCIL <br />AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY <br /> <br /> Work Session: Single-Use Containers and Utensils Meeting Date: January 16, 2019 Agenda Item Number: 1 Department: Planning and Development Staff Contact: Michael Wisth <br />www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 541-682-6835 <br />ISSUE STATEMENT Single-use restaurant and grocery items—such as to-go boxes, bags, cups, straws and utensils—have gained considerable attention over the past few years for their impacts on the environment. By some accounts, single-use items account for up to 15 percent of all ocean plastic litter. In response to this, many governmental bodies have taken various forms of actions to limit single-use items availability. <br />BACKGROUND Litter in the form of single-use items and serviceware has gained attention from community groups and local governments over the past few years. Litter cleanup data from SOLVE volunteers revealed 15 percent of litter by count consists of single-use plastics from packaging associated with take-out and delivery of food and drink. Plastic straws are the sixth most frequently occurring litter in the United States, according the Ocean Conservancy. In 2012, City Council adopted a bag ban limiting the distribution of single-use plastic bags throughout Eugene. Globally, over one hundred governments have adopted a similar ban for plastic bags and many others—including Vancouver (British Columbia), New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Berkeley, Boulder and Portland—already have or are in the process of restricting straws and other single-use items. This work session will serve as an introduction to the issue. Staff will review various points of consideration prior to instituting a ban, such as different types of materials associated with single-use containers and serviceware, exemptions for those in need of single-use items and other considerations. Staff will also provide an overview of proposed statewide bans and the regulatory approaches taken by other cities, primarily Seattle, Berkeley and Portland. <br />RELATED CITY POLICIES In 2012, Eugene City Council voted to implement Ordinance 20498, banning retailers from using single-use plastic bags. The City of Eugene regulates licensed garbage and recycling hauling activities within the city limits. These activities are guided by Oregon Revised Statues as well as the Eugene City Code. In particular, ORS 459a outlines the “Opportunity to Recycle” for all Oregonians and sets a baseline for counties’ and their affiliated municipalities’ garbage diversion rates.