Seattle bans single-use restaurant packaging from landfills.Seattle, followed closely by the City of Issaquah next year, is officially the first market area in North America to require single-use food service packaging be either compostable or recyclable.
The ordinance requires restaurants, coffee shops, food courts, cafeterias and other food service businesses to stop throwing away single-use food-service ware and packaging including napkins, paper bags, wooden coffee stir sticks, clamshells and hot and cold beverage cups and lids among others.
The city has contracted with Cedar Grove Composting to accept the commercial food-service products and provide restaurants with an accepted list of compostable items.
Food establishments using compostable or recyclable food service products are required to provide collection bins for customers.
The City hopes participation of the new ordinance will help prevent 6,000 tons of food service-ware and leftover food from entering landfills.
