CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY THIRD COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. O-19-48 ENACTMENT NO. ________________________
SPONSORED BY: Isaac Benton, Patrick Davis, Diane Gibson, Cynthia Borrego
ORDINANCE
title
Adding A New Article 17 To Chapter 13, ROA 1994, Limiting The Use Of
Plastic Single-Use Carryout Bags; Creating An 'Albuquerque Clean & Green Business' Program; Providing For Administrative Regulations To Carry Out The Provisions (Benton, Davis, Gibson, Borrego)
body
WHEREAS, the U.S. each year generates more than 4 million tons of
plastic bags, sacks and wraps, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and only about 13 percent of that
plastic is recycled; and
WHEREAS, the majority of single-use
plastic bags, straws and polystyrene containers do not biodegrade but rather persist in the environment for hundreds of years, even though they are only used for a few minutes; and
WHEREAS, thousands of single-use
plastic bags, straws and polystyrene containers contribute to public litter; and
WHEREAS, a 2018 study by Clean Water Action found that the difference in cost between the most common single-use polystyrene and alternative packaging was just $0.01 (1-cent) more per unit; and
WHEREAS, the production of polystyrene creates greenhouse gases and polystyrene products take more than 500 years to degrade, even though they are only used for a few minutes; and
WHEREAS, major American companies with locations in Albuquerque, including Starbucks, Hyatt, Hilton, McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts have announced plans to end the use of polystyrene cups and containers or single-use
plastic straws; and
WHEREAS, Kroger, the parent company of Smith's Grocery that operates several Albuquerque locations, has announced plans to end the use of single-use
plastic bags in all stores by 2025; and
WHEREAS, in addition to City efforts to limit
plastic waste and single-use
plastic pollution in our City, the City's recycling program can als...
Click here for full text