The Story of Single-Use Plastics in San Mateo County (intentionally blank) 2 The Story of Single-Use Plastics in San Mateo County About the authors: This document was authored and edited by a cross-sector, county-wide team of 30 thought leaders and community advocates brought together through Thrive Alliance’s Environment & Sustainability Community to form a Thrive Impact Group. The Community has been meeting since 2018, unifying environment and sustainability organizations from four sectors: business, government, nonprofit, and youth. Main Author • Doug Silverstein, Environment & Sustainability Lead, Thrive Alliance Collaborating Authors • Daniel Arad, Leader, Nueva High School • Cambria Bartlett, Co-founder & Chapter Leader, Heirs to Our Oceans • Shay Barton, Chapter Leader, Heirs to Our Oceans • Emily Berglund, Program Director, Heirs to Our Oceans • Shell Cleave, Founder, Sea Hugger • Richard Edminster, resident of City of San Carlos • Daisy Fong, resident of City of Pacifica and Economic Development Committee member • Jennifer Lee, Environmental Regulatory Compliance Manager, City of Burlingame • Matthew Mills, student, Crystal Springs Uplands High School • Juan Miranda, Environmental Education Fellow, RethinkWaste • Ava Peyton, Co-president Surfrider Foundation, Menlo-Atherton High School • Petra Silton, Director of Education & Advocacy, Thrive Alliance • Veronika Vostinak, Sustainability Analyst, City of Half Moon Bay • Alejandra Warren, Founder, Plastic Free Pacifica • Kimberly Williams, Secretary, Surfrider Foundation’s San Mateo County Chapter Graphics & design: Camille Kay, Carlmont High School (Belmont, CA), Ilan Listgarten, Menlo School (Atherton, CA), and Alexandra Szczerba, Sacred Heart Preparatory (Atherton, CA) About Thrive Alliance: Thrive unites the voices and influence of San Mateo County nonprofits, helps build their capacity, and enables effective cross-sector collaboration. In doing so, Thrive has created a robust, trusted network of 200+ nonprofit organizations, government entities, foundations, businesses, and community leaders with a shared commitment to strengthening the nonprofit sector and improving quality of life. www.thrivealliance.org, Redwood City, CA. Providing feedback: We invite community feedback on this document and the topic of single- use plastics in San Mateo County for integration into future Thrive Action Group efforts. Please send written remarks to [email protected]. Getting involved: We invite community participation and philanthropic investment in future efforts of this Thrive Action Group. Please send inquiries to [email protected]. Reaching the authors: Contact Doug Silverstein at [email protected] or 650-346-8945. 3 The Story of Single-Use Plastics in San Mateo County Table of Contents Executive Summary 6 I. Collective Impact 9 Existing Collaboration 9 Collective Impact Approach 10 II. The Story of Single-Use Plastics in San Mateo County 14 Upstream—From Origin to Burlingame 16 Downstream—From Burlingame to Final Destination 18 III. Defining Single-Use Plastics in San Mateo County 24 Beverage Bottles and Lids 27 Product Packaging 28 Bags, Shipping Materials, and Cigarette Butts 31 IV. Six Downstream Plastic Waste Challenges in San Mateo County 34 Challenge 1—Plastic Production, Consumption and Waste are Growing 34 Challenge 2—Plastic Recycling Markets and Processes are Broken 37 Challenge 3—Recycling Education, Compliance, and Contamination Rates 41 Challenge 4—Ox Mountain LandFill is at 70% Capacity 42 Challenge 5—Plastics Dominate Litter on Beaches, Streets, and Open Spaces 43 Challenge 6—Plastic Disposal & Litter in Low-income Communities 47 V. Indirect Costs – Waste Disposal & Litter Cleanup 50 Municipal Solid Waste Management Costs to Bill Payers 51 Litter Cleanup: Cities & Towns 51 Litter Cleanup: Beaches 54 Litter Cleanup: Marine Environments 55 Litter Cleanup: Waterways and Highways 57 VI. Indirect Costs – Human Health 58 Health and Ocean Pollution in SMC 59 Outside San Mateo County—Health and Pollution 61 VI. Focus on Food Facilities 64 Restaurants 65 Schools 72 VII. Alternatives to Single-Use Plastics 78 Alternatives For Foodservice Single-use Plastics 78 Compostables For Food Facilities 79 Reusables For Food Facilities 80 Reusables For Other Single-Use Plastics 81 VIII. Pathways For Change—Policy and Programs 83 Policy 84 4 The Story of Single-Use Plastics in San Mateo County San Mateo County Disposable Food Service Ware Ordinance of 2020 84 Berkeley, Palo Alto, and San Francisco 86 Current State and Federal Action 88 Existing Local, State, & Federal Policy 89 Incentive Programs 90 Education Programs Error! Bookmark not defined. IX. Conclusion & Next Steps 93 X. Acknowledgements 94 Appendix A – Single-use Plastic Consumption in SMC 95 Appendix B – Single-use Plastic Costs in SMC 97 5 The Story of Single-Use Plastics in San Mateo County Executive Summary This is our story. We are 16 San Mateo County residents passionate about Fostering happy and healthy environments that can be sustained For Future generations. We are beachcombers, hikers, swimmers, and travelers; consultants, engineers, marketers, and project managers; as well as grandparents, parents, children, and grandchildren. We love San Mateo County (SMC) and are passionate about its wellbeing. We invite you to learn what we uncovered in this three-month research project on the impacts of single-use plastics right here in our 455 square miles of rugged PaciFic coastline, windy Bay shores, steep mountain trails, and technology innovation hub. This paper is intended For SMC policymakers, leaders, and interested members of the public to: ● Educate the community and government decision makers on the negative impacts oF single-use plastics in SMC ● Provide language and Frameworks for further discussion ● Highlight alternatives and solutions Single-use plastics are Fast-consumed plastics typically used while eating, and for food, beverage and consumer product packaging. They are manuFactured From chemicals extracted from oil, natural gas, and coal, and shaped into products oF difFerent color, size, durability, and weight. They are primarily Found in SMC restaurants and Foodservice locations, grocery and other stores, and in packaging of shipped goods. These items account For nearly 50% of all plastic waste1 and can be grouped into six categories: foodservice, beverage bottles and lids, bags, product packaging, shipping materials, and cigarette butts made of cellulose acetate plastic Fiber. Through extensive research From April to July 2020, our Thrive Impact Group uncovered signiFicant challenges and indirect costs to SMC from single-use plastics: before their consumption (upstream), during consumption, and after consumption (downstream). The indirect costs result from disposal to landfills, litter cleanup, pollution (air, climate, Food, land, and water), and pollution-related human health issues. We estimate SMC generates approximately 42,000 tons of single-use plastics waste each year that is disposed to landfill, to recyclers, or littered in the environment. See Table 1 and Appendix A For more explanation. This is approximately the equivalent oF 30,000 Mini-Coopers or 275,000 refrigerators. Per person, the waste amounts to 107 pounds per year, or approximately 5,000 halF-liter water bottles or 8,800 plastic grocery bags. The indirect costs to society result From the consumption and disposal of single-use plastics in SMC but are not included in the point oF sale price. We estimate the annual indirect costs to the County oF these 42,000 tons to be (see Table 2 and Appendix B for more explanation): ● Disposal of non-recyclable single-use plastics consumed in SMC—$3.1 million 1 Single-use Plastics – A Road to Sustainability, UN environment, 2018, http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11822/25496 6 The Story of Single-Use Plastics in San Mateo County ● Litter cleanup of single-use plastics in SMC—$5.9 million ● Ocean pollution cleanup from single-use plastics—$277 million ● Climate change impact from single-use plastics— SMC’s share of global 850 million tons of greenhouse gases or 189 coal plants2 ● Human health consequences of single-use plastics—undetermined; research shows exposure to toxins can cause disease From the single-use plastics liFecycle stages3: ○ Production – ocean pollution > Fish > ingestion ○ Consumption – food contact to plastic > ingestion ○ End-of-LiFe (recycling, litter, incineration) - ocean pollution > Fish > ingestion By reducing use oF single-use plastics and replacing them with reusable items in SMC, residents and restaurant owners will benefit. We estimate possible annual savings as follows: ● Residents—$203.1 million from switching to reusable cofFee cups and water bottles ● Restaurant owners—$19.2 million from switching to reusable Foodware ● Schools—$383,333 from switching to reusable Foodware ● Corporate CaFeterias—undetermined The total avoided costs and added savings could be up to $508 million per year in San Mateo County alone. That is about one-sixth of the entire County’s annual operating budget4. In addition, signiFicant environmental benefits would accrue outside of SMC by reducing the upstream environmental harm of plastics production and the downstream environmental harm of litter and pollution. Add tables 1 & 2 Table 1 - xxx Table 2 - xxx 2 Plastic and Climate – The Hidden Cost of a Plastic Planet, Center for International Environmental Law, 5/3/19, https://www.ciel.org/plasticandclimate/ 3 Plastic & Health - The hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet, Center for