New York City Councilmember Marjorie Velázquez was joined by other city politicos and environmental activists in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday to introduce legislation that would require corporate-owned fast casual restaurants to offer customers reusable food packaging.
Velázquez — who represents Bronx Council District 13 and is the chair of the Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection — said during the press conference the legislation is taking a meaningful step to reduce the amount of single-use plastics in landfills throughout New York City, and change the way the city does takeout.
“Our environment is severely impacted by the number of non-recyclable items,” she said. “For far too long all of us have contributed to the growing number of single-use waste and it’s time for a change.”
The legislation, Introduction 1003, would prohibit dining places with a capacity for dishwashing from giving out single-use takeout packaging unless requested — instead requiring them to offer dine-in customers reusable eating utensils and containers. The legislation would also require these restaurants to give customers the option to request food packaging that can be brought back, establishing a kind of return system.
“Some may argue that the disposables are convenient and yes, it can be, but they’re not convenient for the health of our city,” Velázquez said.
And while the reusable containers for participating restaurants are still made of plastic, the councilmember reiterated that the goal is to reduce single-use waste and general consumption, rather than implement a blanket mandate against plastic altogether.
Brooklyn Councilmember Sandy Nurse and Manhattan councilmembers Keith Powers and Erik Bottcher — all co-sponsors of the legislation — as well as Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine also spoke in support of the initiative Tuesday.
Powers, the council majority leader, said the legislation will position New York City as a national leader in the green movement.
“I know that we are going to get this done and I know that we are going to continue to make New York City a leader on issues around environmentalism and climate change, but also consumer behavior,” he said during the press conference. “I am sick and tired of watching and waiting for the federal government to take action, it is hard for the state to take action, so we’ve got to do it right here.”
Velázquez said Tuesday that the legislation doesn’t yet have strict guidelines for participating restaurants, and that she doesn’t have an estimate of how many businesses will be impacted by the initiative.
Reach Camille Botello at cbotello@schnepsmedia.com. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
