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Roseville Public Works, Environment and Transportation Commission Agenda Item DATE: July 23, 2024 ITEM: 5.a. ITEM DESCRIPTION: Green To Go Update Background At the January 12, 2024 City Council meeting, Council approved an engagement plan for staff to conduct community engagement regarding a Green To Go ordinance proposal. 180 licensed food businesses currently operate in the city of Roseville, and the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in many more restaurants offering take-out service: digital ordering and delivery have grown 300% faster than dine -in traffic since 2014. Food waste and packaging make up about 45% of all materials in U.S. landfills, and some studies suggest that restaurants account for nearly 80% of disposable packaging waste in the U.S. Of these materials, polystyrene, better known as Styrofoam, is commonly used in food takeout containers. Production, usage, and disposal of this substance presents multiple environmental and public health risks, including contribution to the presence of microplastics in soil and waterways. Following a January 2022 presentation from a University of Minnesota scientist on microplastics and their environmental effect, the Public Works, Environment, and Transportation Commission (PWETC) requested that staff research zero waste ordinances in other cities. As of July 2024, the cities of Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Saint Louis Park, and Edina have enacted ordinances to require takeout food packaging to be either commercially compostable or recyclable. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Metropolitan Policy Plan for the Solid Waste Management sets forth a goal for metro counties to reach a 75% recycling rate by 2030. As of 2020, Roseville's recycling rate was 46.2%. Implementing a takeout food packaging ordinance, in combination with Ramsey County's forthcoming Food Scraps Pickup program, would help the City of Roseville come closer to meeting that goal. Additionally, commercial businesses could reduce their solid waste fees by separately disposing of compostable materials and food waste. In the 2024 Minnesota Legislative session, legislators passed the Packaging Waste and Cost Reduction Act, which includes a requirement that all packaging in Minnesota must be recyclable or compostable by 2032. Recommendation Receive update and provide feedback to staff. Attachments Green To Go Update Presentation Green To Go Draft Ordinance Green To Go Survey Results Page 22 of 97