In the latest effort to reduce its plastic waste footprint, New York City has placed restrictions on single-use plastic in takeout and delivery services.
It’s all part of the “Skip the Stuff” bill that prohibits restaurants and delivery services from automatically providing plastic utensils, condiment packets, extra containers or napkins unless requested by the customer.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams signed the bill into law in February and the city recently released recommended regulations on the matter. This includes proposed fines ranging from $50 to $250 for restaurants, food delivery and third-party courier services. Violators will receive warnings until fines go into effect starting July 1, 2024.
About 20,000 tons of unrecyclable plastic food ware is discarded annually in NYC, according to Raine Manley, regional digital campaign director at the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC).
“This legislation will mean no more unwanted plastic forks, stacks of napkins and ketchup packets piling up in kitchen drawers of New Yorkers across the city,” Manley said in a statement.
Those in favor also say the move could save restaurants money “on unnecessary single-use materials.”
The “Skip the Stuff” law follows a string of bans on single-use plastics in the bustling city. In 2019, the city banned plastic foam takeout containers and instead encouraged food service locations to purchase reusable, recyclable or compostable alternatives. In 2021 a restriction on plastic straws and beverage stirrers was placed.
New York is not alone in clamping down on plastic laws. Eight states in the U.S. have banned plastic bag use, and California previously passed a bill with hefty plastic-use restrictions, with major emphasis on the manufactures end. The legislation requires all packaging in California to be recyclable or compostable by 2032, cutting plastic packaging by 25 percent and requiring 65 percent of all single-use plastics to be recycled.
Beyond the foodservice sector, global retail giant Amazon has put forward efforts in packaging reduction.
Amazon conducted a European-based study out of 10,000 adults and found that 32 percent want retailers and manufacturers to reduce packaging, and that 52 percent would be happy to receive items in the manufacturer’s original packaging.
Customers wishing to receive items with no added packaging can do so with no need to ‘opt in.’ If the item is eligible, a message appears during check-out explaining the item arrives in packaging that ‘shows what’s inside.
“One way we do this is by working with manufacturers to design packaging that’s capable of shipping safely, without additional paper bags, envelopes, or boxes from us. We’ve made good progress, increasing the number of orders shipped to customers with no added delivery packaging in Europe by more than 50 percent since 2021,” said Justine Mahler, director of packaging innovation at Amazon.
“We are working to ship even more deliveries the same way.”
