Plastics Ordinance

Building upon earlier action to reduce plastic waste from the environment, the City of Del Mar in early 2026 enacted a ban to prohibit single-use, non-compostable food service ware citywide and single-use plastic beverage bottles at City facilities and City-sponsored events. The prohibition includes the sale of expanded polystyrene, or Styrofoam, coolers and ice chests.

The ordinance applies to all disposable, single-use food service ware that cannot be recycled and adds to existing bans: single-use plastic carryout bags (2016), Styrofoam and nonrecyclable plastic food service ware (2018), plastic straws and stirrers (2019), and balloons filled with gas lighter than air (2023).

The bans are part of a larger effort to move Del Mar toward becoming a zero-waste city and comply with state goals to divert trash from landfills.

Climate Action Plan concurrence

Reducing solid waste and encouraging recycling are goals of the Del Mar's Climate Action Plan.

Plastics and petroleum-based Styrofoam can be harmful on many levels. The materials can take hundreds of years to degrade and when they find their way to the ocean, small pieces can be ingested by marine life. People can face health risks after eating seafood that has been exposed to plastic toxins. Degrading plastic in landfills can leach toxic chemicals into groundwater.