TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa City Council is considering a ban on single-use plastics and its not clear if all city leaders are on board.
- City council to consider ban on single-use plastics
- Ordinance would not apply to supermarkets or businesses
- Not clear yet which plastic would be affected
During a scheduled meeting Thursday, the city’s legal department is expected to present a draft ordinance to the city council regarding a proposed future ban on some single-use plastics in parks and city-owned property. The ordinance would not apply to supermarkets or private businesses in the city.
While it’s not clear exactly which plastic products would be included in the proposed ban, the draft ordinance will likely be modeled after the policy in place in Orlando.
Tampa’s proposed ordinance is expected to be much more modest than the ban in St. Petersburg that includes plastic drinking straws. During preliminary talks in January, some Tampa city council members expressed they would like the ban to apply to plastic bags and items like Styrofoam containers.
According to Bay News 9 partner newspaper the Tampa Bay Times, Mayor Jane Castor said in January that she was concerned over the possible ramifications of creating a single-use plastic ban.
“The business implications. The economic implications. So it would be something that I would have to look into what those ramifications are...you know, the unintended consequences, before I supported a single-use plastics ban,” Castor said.
The Tampa City Council is expected to discuss the proposed ordinance on Thursday and determine their next course of action.