New bill would ban plastic cups in chain restaurants

Some California restaurants could be barred from using single-use plastic cups if a proposed state bill becomes law. 

Sen. Catherine Blakespear (D–Encinitas) introduced Senate Bill 1167 into the Legislature to require chain restaurants to provide dine-in customers with reusable cups, instead of single-use plastic or paper cups. 

The big picture: Plastic food services ware produces 500,000 tons of waste annually, according to CalRecycle. 

• Blakespear noted in a press release that disposable cups are often designed to be recyclable but end up in landfills or polluting the environment. 
• Paper cups have their own issues as well, since they are usually lined with polyethylene plastic, making them difficult to recycle, according to Blakespear. 
• Blakespear is also proposing legislation to ban film plastic bags in grocery stores. 

What they’re saying: “California has a massive plastic waste problem, and if we are serious about protecting our environment and living sustainably, we must reduce it across the board,” Blakespear said. “SB 1167 is a simple, sensible step to reduce waste coming from restaurants.”