Surfside's Plastic Ban: Here's What to Know

by Dabney Richards

The Surfside community in Miami made an effort to cut down on it’s plastic use. An existing ban on single use plastics was extended to include the sale, use, and distribution of plastic bags, utensils, and dinnerware from commercial establishments, special event permit holders, as well as town facilities. The original ban that came into affect started in March 2020, targeted the use of plastic straws and stirrers

The vote passed 4 - 0 and will go into effect March 2020. This updated ban drew opposition from many governing officials and locals who were opposed to the idea saying that there were more pressing issues the city should be focused on handling instead of restricting plastic use. The “mountains of plastic” contaminating the beaches and “acid rain” were not things they believed in and were not concerned about.

A month prior to this decision, Florida lawmakers put in to affect a bill that would prevent local governing bodies from banning plastic until July 2024. It passed 24-to-15 in the Florida Senate but many districts in Florida already started restricting the use of plastics from Coral Gables to Hallandale Beach.

These battles over plastic use came up in 2017 when Coral Gables was sued for banning the use of Styrofoam products. A judge upheld the city’s ban, saying it was unconstitutional for the state to prohibit municipalities from banning Styrofoam. That battle is still going on and could affect this new ruling in the future.

According to National Geographic, forty percent of the waste clogging waterways that support communities around the world are used just once and then are disposed of.

This decision by the officials in Surfside now joins the neighboring Bal Harbour area, Canada, and the Palo Alto who’ve all voted to ban these types of plastic usages in their communities. Mayor Daniel Dietch supported the cause saying, “ We try to strike a balance of what's reasonable with what we can do to help our community move forward, help us evolve in raising consciousness on how we live”. There are some exceptions to the new ban expansion. Water bottles and prepackaged drinks that include straws are not affected.