Styrofoam Banned in Scotts Valley

In a unanimous vote by Scotts Valley City Council on December 17, 2008, Scotts Valley joined Santa Cruz, Capitola, and Santa Cruz County in adopting a local ordinance to prohibit the use of polystyrene (Styrofoam) food take-out containers in all city businesses which offer take-out food or which allow customers to package and leave with uneaten portions of their meal. The new ordinance goes into effect six months from the date of the vote. The Santa Cruz Chapter was very active in encouraging Scotts Valley City Council to take this action, and we are pleased to see more and more local businesses eliminating polystyrene food containers from their stock. We believe this ordinance will not only help protect our many sea creatures which mistake small pieces of polystyrene for their natural food, but will also help convince other nearby jurisdictions to enact and enforce similar ordinances. The Chapter worked with twelve partner organizations in the “Wipe Out Plastic Takeout!” Coalition. Their long-range goal is a polystyrene-take-out-container-free county!