City Ban On Single-Use Plastics

• The citywide sale of polystyrene foam food containers such as cups, bowls, plates, and clamshell containers in addition to foam coolers that are not encased in another material (however, these items may be sold by City retailers until 1/1/2023).
• Culver City retailers are prohibited from selling foam coolers not encased in other material and all single-use polystyrene foam.
• Effective January 1, 2022, the citywide sale of polystyrene meat, poultry, fish and vegetable trays and egg cartons.
• Effective January 1, 2022, take-out and delivery no plastic and PLA food containers such as cups, bowls, plates, and clamshell containers should be used.
• Effective January 1, 2022, plastic and PLA straws, stirrers, lid plugs are banned.
• Effective January 1, 2022, the sale or use of polystyrene packing materials used in shipping containers.
• Effective January 1, 2023, the use of disposable food service ware for dine in premises. 

• Effective January 1, 2023, the citywide use/sale of single-use polystyrene plastic food containers such as cups, bowls, plates, clamshell containers, cutlery, straws, and cup lids.

• All unprepared food using polystyrene food ware may be sold by City retailers and prepared food providers (example: Cup of Noodles-Ramen).
• Food brought by individuals for personal consumption to City facilities including City parks, provided the City facility is being used for individual recreation and the person’s use of the City facility is not part of an event requiring a rental agreement or permit.

Prepared Food Providers and City Facilities:

• Prohibited:  Use of polystyrene/PLA food ware, plastic/PLA water bottles, lid plugs, stirrers, and straws at all City facilities, including members of the public who rent City facilities for their private use. 
• Prohibited:  Use of polystyrene/PLA food ware, plastic/PLA water bottles, lid plugs, stirrers, and straws at all City special events that are open to the public to attend, regardless if they are privately produced or City-sponsored.  
• Prohibited:  Use of polystyrene/PLA food ware by all prepared food service providers including restaurants, grocery store deli’s, retailers, hotels/motels with restaurants, caterers, food trucks, convenience stores and farmers’ markets
• Prohibited:  Use of plastic/PLA lid plugs, stirrers, and straws prepared food service providers including restaurants, grocery store deli’s, retailers, hotels/motels with restaurants, caterers, food trucks, convenience stores and farmers’ markets.

Retailers:

• Prohibited: The sale of foam polystyrene single-use food ware containers, cups, bowls and plates.
• Not prohibited: The sale of solid polystyrene single-use food ware containers, cups, cup lids, bowls, plates, cutlery, and straws until 1/1/2023.
• Prohibited: The sale of polystyrene foam coolers not encased in another material.
• Prohibited: The sale of polystyrene meat, poultry, fish, vegetable and egg cartons.
• Prohibited: The use of polystyrene products for packing purposes for all regulated entities. 

Yes. 

An exemption to the ban may be provided for a one-year period if a food service provider demonstrates that the ban would cause undue hardship, which is defined as follows:

• Situations unique to the food provider where there are no reasonable alternatives to polystyrene food ware exist and compliance with the ban would cause significant economic hardship to that food provider; or
• Situations where no reasonably feasible alternatives exists for a specific and necessary polystyrene food ware item.

You may report polystyrene foodware product sale or use violations by contacting the City’s Environmental Programs and Operations Department by calling 310-253-6423.

Click here to view form.

Violators are subject to the penalties and other provisions contained in CCMC Title 1, Chapter §1.01 General Provisions and Chapter §1.02 Administrative Citations:

• $100 fine for the first offense
• $200 for the second offense
• $500 for each offense thereafter

Those persons who rent a City facility through execution of an agreement and are found to use, sell or distribute polystyrene food ware will forfeit their security deposit.

In order to reduce waste, prepared food service providers are required to ask their customers whether they want cutlery included with their take-out order (instead of automatically including it.)

Download Back-of-the-Register posters for your business.(PDF, 437KB)