Plastic and foam going the way of VHS?

Cities continue to ban Styrofoam containers. 

By Kathy Schrenk
It's probably been a while since you thought much about the effect of county government on your day-to-day life. But in my part of the world, those supervisors are having a big impact.

Last year, San Mateo County (just south of San Francisco) banned styrofoam containers for takeout food. This action affects restaurants (and their diners) within the county, but only in areas that aren't in an incorporated city (Redwood City, Burlingame, South San Francisco, Half Moon Bay...). The county supes encouraged cities to follow suit, and many of them are doing so, some faster than others.

Redwood City is just a couple miles from me, and they have all the good, quick, inexpensive food, and they are finally getting in on the act. That means I will soon be free from nasty chemicals leaking into my food when I get takeout from the restaurant that has the best Indian food, yet the worst service. It seems some restaurants are already changing their inventory; when I went to my favorite taqueria last month they already had cardboard (or maybe plant-based?) take-out containers.

Next up? Plastic bags! How fantastic would that be?

If you aren't lucky enough to live in a city or county that's taking such actions, you can take action: let your local governments know what's happening in other parts of the world and that you'd like them to follow suit. It's not as hard as you think; plus, it's their job! You're their boss!