Largo Commissioners Ban Single-Use Plastics On City Property

LARGO, FL -- Largo is now the second Florida West Coast city to ban single-use plastics on city property.

With a 4-1 vote Tuesday night, Largo city commissioners approved an ordinance that will go into effect on July 1 on all city properties.

The vote, intended to limit trash and keep harmful plastics out of the environment, will make it illegal to distribute Styrofoam and plastic plates, cups and straws on city property, including at city functions and special events.

The ban, however, does not extend to families who rent a pavilion in Largo Central Park nor does it apply to businesses located off city property.

"I think it's important that we are leading by example rather than trying to set a standard for everybody else," Mayor Woody Brown said.

Commissioner Samantha Fenger said she's hopeful the ordinance will be a "catalyst" for other measures including a citywide campaign to reduce littering.

In December, St. Petersburg was the first West Coast city to adopt a Styrofoam and micro-plastics ban.

Micro-plastics aren't biodegradable. Instead they disintegrate into smaller pieces where they pollute waters and pose hazard to wildlife and marine life that consume them.

Ahead of the St. Petersburg and Largo ordinances, some businesses have already voluntarily ceased distributing single-use plastics and foam cups and containers to customers.

Twenty-eight Tampa Bay restaurant have joined the Suncoast Rise Above Plastics Coalition, pledging to limit the use of plastics. The coalition is made up of 17 organizations including The Florida Aquarium, the Sierra Club, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Oceana and the St. Petersburg Audubon Society.

Both St. Petersburg and Largo stopped short of banning the use of plastic grocery bags, however. In 2017. Coral Gables became the first city in the state to enact a ban on plastic bags. But that ordinance was challenged and overturned in court by the Florida Retail Federation. The city is now appealing the court's decision.

Prohibited items in the new Largo ordinance include plastic straws and stirrers (including the use of bio-plastic straws), plastic cutlery, plastic plates, cups and bowls for serving, plastic lids, trays and similar single-use items.

To learn more about the ordinance, click here. To replay the discussion at the Largo City Commission meeting, click here.

Related stories:

Largo Wants To Follow St. Pete's Lead And Ban Single-Use Plastic

St. Pete 1st West Coast City To Ban Plastic Straws, Styrofoam

Youtube video: Texas A&M University marine biologist Christine Figgener filmed this video of a plastic straw being removed from the nostril of a sea turtle.

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