City panel discusses polystyrene ban

Six months after the city trashed single-use plastic bags, Del Mar’s Sustainability Advisory Board is asking that polystyrene food containers join them in the heap.

The board recently discussed whether Del Mar should adopt an ordinance banning the use of polystyrene, often called Styrofoam, officials said. No decision was made during the board’s meeting earlier but board members said the city should work with restaurants that use the containers to get rid of them voluntarily.

Kristen Crane, the city’s management services director, said there’s a concern businesses may be overwhelmed with new and coming regulations, such as Del Mar’s recently adopted plastic bag ban and a state-mandated minimum wage increase.

“The conversation at the (board) meeting was very preliminary,” Crane said. “I’m very sensitive to how this new initiative would impact the local businesses in combination with several other dynamics in play.”

Del Mar businesses also face the possibility of half-cent sales tax increase in the near future. The City Council voted in July to put a the tax hike on the November ballot for residents to decide.

If approved, the tax increase is expected to generate about $2 million a year that city officials say would help pay for much-needed infrastructure projects.

Crane said the discussion on banning polystyrene has not moved beyond the Sustainability Advisory Board.

“There has not been any formal outreach to the business community on this concept yet, nor any discussion with the DMVA (Del Mar Village Association), the Business Support Advisory Committee, or the City Council, as to whether this is something they would want to add to the city’s work plan.” Crane said.

Last year, neighboring Solana Beach became the first city in the county to ban polystyrene food containers. The city also prohibits the use of packing materials, such as peanuts and popcorn, made from the material.

Encinitas also proposed banning polystyrene but then decided to postpone it indefinitely after restaurant owners spoke out against the ban. Restaurant owners and others told city officials that polystyrene containers are by far the cheapest takeout container option on the market, and that they work better than wax paper containers.

Del Mar’s plastic bag ban, which also came from the city’s Sustainability Advisory Board, is scheduled to go into effect in December for retail shops. Restaurants, food vendors and the farmers market have until June to comply.

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