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SUSTAINABILITY - ACTION ITEM - Receive and Discuss a Presentation from Ballona Creek Renaissance (BCR) Regarding the 4B Plastic Ban Proposal.
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Meeting Date: June 5, 2025
Contact Person: Wallis Nash, EPO - Public Works Department
Phone: (310) 253-6445
Fiscal Impact: Yes [ ] No [X] General Fund: Yes [ ] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [ ] No [X]
Public Notification: Email via GovDelivery (06/02/2025): Meetings and Agendas - Sustainability Subcommittee, Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Commission; Stay Informed - Community Gardening, Sustainability and Environmental Issues, Urban Forest Management, Environmental Programs and Events
Department Approval: Yanni Demitri, Public Works Director / City Engineer (05/15/2025)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Sustainability Subcommittee receive and discuss a presentation by Ballona Creek Renaissance regarding the 4B plastic bans (proposals to restrict the sale and use of plastic beverage bottles, plastic bags, balloons and smoking). The Subcommittee may give staff new or additional direction regarding presentation of the bans to City Council.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
On March 23, 2023, Ballona Creek Renaissance (BCR) presented to the City Council Sustainability Subcommittee four proposals aimed at removing pollutants from the region’s waterways. BCR presented a breakdown of items that are most commonly found in Coastal Cleanup events, showing that cigarette butts and plastic beverage bottles make up close to 40% of the debris that is collected from waterways.
The proposed restrictions were called the 4B plastic reduction proposals because each item began with a letter “B.”
• The first proposal is a ban prohibition on local sales and use of single-use plastic beverage bottles (“bottles”), which would amend the City’s existing Waste Reduction Regulations, Culver City Municipal Code (CCMC) Chapter 5.07. This proposal would prohibit the sale and use of single-use plastic bottles for beverages, both water and otherwise.
• The second proposal would also amend CCMC Chapter 5.07 to prohibit the use and sale of balloons (“balloons”) in the City.
• The third proposal would amend CCMC Chapter 9.11 to expand the prohibition of outdoor smoking (“butts”) citywide and considers a prohibition of tobacco sales ban within the City.
• BCR’s fourth proposal would amend CCMC Chapter 11.16 to expand the prohibition of single-use plastic carryout bags (“bags”) not exempted by SB 270 and SB 1053, the State’s plastic bag bans.
After the BCR presentation, the Sustainability Subcommittee discussed the 4B proposals and recommended that all the proposals be brought to City Council for consideration.
On April 29, 2024, the proposals were presented to City Council. Council remanded all the proposals back to the Sustainability Committee for additional outreach, further discussion, and, if necessary, possible refining. City Council also requested that a fifth prohibition on astroturf be added to the ban proposals for study.
During the second half of 2024, staff and consultants completed an extensive outreach campaign to gauge community sentiments and economic impacts. The Sustainability Subcommittee received outreach updates at four meetings in 2024 and to allow for additional discussion and public feedback: July 22, August 22, October 10, and November 18, 2024.
At the February 27, 2025 meeting, staff presented the final outreach reports and presented the Subcommittee with various options to discuss regarding each ban. Following extensive discussion, Subcommittee instructed staff to bring all the bans to City Council and made recommendations regarding the level of restriction for each.
Ballona Creek Renaissance, the original proposer of the 4B plastic bans to restrict the sale and use of plastic beverage bottles, plastic bags, balloons and smoking, will provide additional information relevant to the proposal.
ATTACHMENTS
None.