Vending

NAMA asks LA to reconsider single-use plastic recommendations

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February 28, 2022

The National Automatic Merchandising Association has joined a coalition of industry organizations advising the Los Angeles city council to reconsider recommendations concerning ways to reduce single-use plastic products, according to a letter by the organizations to the city council.

A Los Angeles Sanitation and Environment report includes a range of policies that will negatively affect industries' employees and customers, according to the joint letter from the concerned groups.

The LASAN report provides many recommendations yet lacks specific details as to how these policies would be implemented and what the potential negative impacts will be to affected businesses, according to the letter.

One suggested policy is to impose a ban on certain types of plastic foodservice packaging material. Alternative packaging options are likely to be more costly, and given the current economic climate for the restaurant community, any increase in costs could be impossible to absorb, the letter stated.

"A blanket prohibition on certain types of plastic packaging materials — as suggested throughout the LASAN report — does not fully consider the potential unintended environmental impacts and may actually lead to increased waste as a result of product breakage or spoilage," the letter stated.