DATE: September 10, 2015
TO: Council Sustainability Committee
FROM: Director of Utilities and Environmental Services
SUBJECT
Title
Options for Addressing Litter from Take-Out Food & Beverage Establishments
End
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
That the Committee reviews, comments on this report, and provides policy direction.
Body
SUMMARY
Staff presents this report to introduce a range of options for dealing with litter from take-out food and beverage establishments. Depending on direction from the Committee, staff will conduct additional research and community outreach to further explore the appropriate path forward for Hayward. Staff anticipates returning to the Committee with more information before presenting a recommendation to the full City Council.
BACKGROUND
At the Committee's March 23, 2015 meeting, staff noted that trash from fast food restaurants and other food and beverage establishments that offer take-out items has long been an ongoing community concern. The Committee asked staff to research the issue and return with creative solutions. The Committee suggested that convenience stores, liquor stores, and tobacco shops be included.
As one of Council's primary priorities is to keep the City clean, the City allocates significant resources to efforts to remove litter throughout the community. Efforts include several full time employees who spend the majority of their time removing dumped trash. Several more City employees are dedicated to street sweeping and cleaning storm drains. The City also sponsors weekend clean-up events, the annual clean-up day at Weekes Park, and the Adopt a Block program. Altogether, the City spends more than $2 million per year on litter collection. Some of the trash that remains on the streets eventually ends up in the storm drain inlets and makes its way to creeks and the shoreline.
Under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program fo...
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