Spring 2020
Committee:
Executive Committee
WHEREAS, community colleges host events that distribute prepared food and beverage [1] with single-use plastic food service ware;
WHEREAS, single-use products significantly contribute to a national waste disposal crisis [2] and use natural resources which omit carbon emissions during manufacturing and distribution [3];
WHEREAS, disposable food service ware products [4] have been found to cause significant environmental damage and harm to animals [5]; and
WHEREAS, although bio-based plastics are certified “compostable,” it has been found that they require a specific composting process, which is currently not widely available in California; as a result, they take years to degrade or they end up in the recycling stream, which becomes contamination for petroleum-based plastics [6]; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the Student Senate for California Community Colleges advocate for replacing single-use plastic, plastic-coated paper, and bioplastic food service ware with marine degradable food service ware [7] to distribute food and beverages;
RESOLVED, that the Student Senate for California Community Colleges communicate that any college event may retain and dispense plastic straws as an accommodation to people with disabilities who request them to enjoy equal access to food and beverage services [8];
RESOLVED, that the Student Senate for California Community Colleges recognize marine degradable food service ware as those made of permitted materials, which include, but are not restricted to, paper, fiber, wood, wheat straw/straw, bagasse, or edible material [8]; and
RESOLVED, that the Student Senate for California Community Colleges work with the Chancellor’s Office and the Board of Governors to develop policies to replace single-use plastic food service ware with marine degradable food service ware on California Community College campuses.
Citation 1: “Prepared food” means any food or beverage prepared on the food provider’s premises, using any cooking or food preparation technique. This does not include any raw uncooked meat, fish or eggs unless provided for consumption without further food preparation. Prepared food may be eaten either on or off the premises.
Citation 2: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/08/the-world-of-plastics-in-numbers
Citation 3: https://stanfordmag.org/contents/the-link-between-plastic-use-and-climate-change-nitty-gritty
Citation 4: “Disposable food service ware” means disposable products intended for single or limited number of uses, used in the restaurant and food service industry for serving or transporting prepared, ready-to-consume food or beverages. Disposable food service ware includes, but is not limited to, plates, cups, bowls, trays, hinged or lidded containers, straws, stirrers, lid plugs, lids, ramekins, and utensils. This does not include disposable packaging for unprepared foods.
Citation 5:https://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/how-plastic-is-harming-animals-the-planet-and-us/
Citation 6: https://ourworldindata.org/faq-on-plastics#can-we-use-biodegradable-plastic-instead
Citation 7: “Marine degradable” means products recognized as “marine degradable” under California state law, Public Resources Code Section 42357, or designed to biodegrade under the marine environmental conditions of aerobic marine waters or anaerobic marine sediments in less than 120 days. Products predominantly made with plastics, either petroleum or biologically based, shall not be considered marine degradable
Citation 8: https://www.smgov.net/departments/ose/business/content.aspx?id=4816
WHEREAS, single-use products significantly contribute to a national waste disposal crisis [2] and use natural resources which omit carbon emissions during manufacturing and distribution [3];
WHEREAS, disposable food service ware products [4] have been found to cause significant environmental damage and harm to animals [5]; and
WHEREAS, although bio-based plastics are certified “compostable,” it has been found that they require a specific composting process, which is currently not widely available in California; as a result, they take years to degrade or they end up in the recycling stream, which becomes contamination for petroleum-based plastics [6]; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the Student Senate for California Community Colleges advocate for replacing single-use plastic, plastic-coated paper, and bioplastic food service ware with marine degradable food service ware [7] to distribute food and beverages;
RESOLVED, that the Student Senate for California Community Colleges communicate that any college event may retain and dispense plastic straws as an accommodation to people with disabilities who request them to enjoy equal access to food and beverage services [8];
RESOLVED, that the Student Senate for California Community Colleges recognize marine degradable food service ware as those made of permitted materials, which include, but are not restricted to, paper, fiber, wood, wheat straw/straw, bagasse, or edible material [8]; and
RESOLVED, that the Student Senate for California Community Colleges work with the Chancellor’s Office and the Board of Governors to develop policies to replace single-use plastic food service ware with marine degradable food service ware on California Community College campuses.
Citation 1: “Prepared food” means any food or beverage prepared on the food provider’s premises, using any cooking or food preparation technique. This does not include any raw uncooked meat, fish or eggs unless provided for consumption without further food preparation. Prepared food may be eaten either on or off the premises.
Citation 2: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/08/the-world-of-plastics-in-numbers
Citation 3: https://stanfordmag.org/contents/the-link-between-plastic-use-and-climate-change-nitty-gritty
Citation 4: “Disposable food service ware” means disposable products intended for single or limited number of uses, used in the restaurant and food service industry for serving or transporting prepared, ready-to-consume food or beverages. Disposable food service ware includes, but is not limited to, plates, cups, bowls, trays, hinged or lidded containers, straws, stirrers, lid plugs, lids, ramekins, and utensils. This does not include disposable packaging for unprepared foods.
Citation 5:https://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/how-plastic-is-harming-animals-the-planet-and-us/
Citation 6: https://ourworldindata.org/faq-on-plastics#can-we-use-biodegradable-plastic-instead
Citation 7: “Marine degradable” means products recognized as “marine degradable” under California state law, Public Resources Code Section 42357, or designed to biodegrade under the marine environmental conditions of aerobic marine waters or anaerobic marine sediments in less than 120 days. Products predominantly made with plastics, either petroleum or biologically based, shall not be considered marine degradable
Citation 8: https://www.smgov.net/departments/ose/business/content.aspx?id=4816
Status
Completed. The SSCCC does not have the authority to implement campus policies. As an alternative, the Regional Affairs Committee completed a Sustainability toolkit for local student body associations to use to advocate locally for change based on the resolution recommendations.