LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL

MOTION

Requiring Recycled Content Beverage Containers In Future Vending Contracts

Passed Unanimously -- April 4, 2000

The City of Los Angeles must, under state law, divert 50% of all solid waste generated within our boundaries from landfill disposals by the end of the year 2000. Everyday more people are embracing recycling as an accepted part of daily life, therefore increasing the amounts of recyclable materials collected. These recycled materials are now recognized as valuable resources for manufacturing new consumer products and packaging.

Manufacturers should share the responsibility for eliminating waste through thoughtful design for durability, reusability, and recyclability. They should use recycled material in the manufacture of new products and provide support for collection, processing, recycling, or disposal of used materials. Businesses must share responsibility for recovering their products and ensuring that they are recycled and not ending up on our landfills.

PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic soda bottles are collected by the City of Los Angeles curbside collection program. These recycled plastic bottles can be recycled into new plastic beverage bottles with a blend of recycled plastic instead of using virgin plastic. This allows the City to "close the loop" on the recycling of plastic bottles, just as other suppliers use recycled aluminum and steel for cans and recycled glass for glass bottles.

In order to meet state requirements, the City should use economic incentives for reducing waste and utilizing recovered materials.

I THEREFORE MOVE that the City of Los Angeles direct the City Legislative Analyst and City Attorney to investigate the opportunities for creating markets for recycled products through City vendor contracts/bids, concessions and vending machines, as well as enforcement of the existing City ordinance for a 10% purchasing preference for products containing recycled materials.

I FURTHER MOVE that all City departments, including but not limited to, the Department of Water & Power, Department of Recreation & Parks, Los Angeles Convention Center, and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Sports Arena be asked to review their contracts with beverage companies and/or beverage vendors to determine if beverage containers supplied by those vendors or companies contain post consumer recycled content and in particular if plastic containers contain post consumer recycled plastic and to report back to the City Council through City Facilities Recycling Division of General Services within 90 days the results of such review.

I FURTHER MOVE that all future vending contracts which cover beverages should be restricted to those beverages in containers with significant quantities of postconsumer recycled content.

I FURTHER MOVE that all city departments be directed to provide recycling disposal containers available to the public for recycling beverage containers at the point of purchase (i.e., a recycling bin next to a vending machine at a city park).

BY _______________________________

RUTH GALANTER
President Pro Tem

BY ________________________________


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