Fulton Commission Proceeds With 'Single-Use Plastics' Reduction

FULTON COUNTY, GA — Single-use plastics could soon be a thing of the past in Fulton County.

At their July 10 meeting, Fulton County Board of Commissioners voted in favor of legislation sponsored by Board Chairman Robb Pitts and co-sponsored by Vice-Chairman Lee Morris to reduce the use of single-use plastics and begin substituting those products with sustainable alternatives.

After renewed conversations with the community at large, the board decided to repeal and replace a similar resolution passed on April 17.

At that meeting, the commission voted in favor of new legislation that would immediately begin to phase out the use of single-use plastics and substitute those products with non-plastic alternatives.

This new resolution promotes stronger collaboration with the community and seeks to take a more phased approach. The proposal still seeks to have internal policies in place that minimize the use of single-use plastic products in Fulton County owned, operated, and leased facilities starting Jan. 1, 2020.

Fulton County staff worked extensively with residents, industry groups and other municipalities to insure the final resolution met the goals set by County leadership.

“The final adopted legislation achieves the goal of making Fulton County a leader in environmental responsibility,” Pitts said. “Clearly, we hope other jurisdictions will adopt legislation to improve our environment through a team effort between government, communities, and industry.”

The new resolution keeps the Board of Commissioners and community involved and engaged in the process through association with the board appointed Fulton County Citizens Commission on the Environment (FCCCE). The plan adopted includes an amendment which directs the Fulton County Energy and Sustainability Manager and the Chief Financial Officer to work closely with the FCCCE in maintaining the list of “single-use items” to be posted on the Fulton County website.

The list of those materials will be provided to the Department of Purchasing and Contract Compliance to ask potential County vendors to seek viable non-plastic alternatives to single-use plastics.

"I am very pleased with the strong collaboration in the successful passage of this resolution,” Fulton County Deputy Chief Operating Officer Ellis Kirby said. “This resolution is a key part of our recently approved Sustainability Plan and sends a message that Fulton County is committed to environmental responsibility in our operations."

The Fulton County proposal follows the example set by similar legislation in municipalities around the United States and Canada to reduce waste from single-use plastics. County leaders hope that the legislation will also encourage Fulton County's cities to pass measures reducing the use and distribution of single-use plastics. To that end, the county plans to provide a copy of the resolution to each of Fulton County's cities for their consideration.

"Fulton County is joining so many other municipalities, states, and counties in doing our part to drive down plastic pollution by eliminating wasteful plastics, which never break down and end up back in the ecosystem and possibly our food supply," Pitts said. "In a year when the Earth Day theme is 'Protect Our Species,' we at Fulton County are ready to achieve that goal."

According to the Earth Day Network, Americans use more than 100 billion plastic shopping bags and 25 billion Styrofoam cups every year, in addition to 500 million plastic straws every day. This resolution seeks to make a dent in this problem by reducing the number of plastic products that will end up in storm drains and waterways from littering and the circulation of windblown debris.