Single-use utensils, food accessories and condiment packets will only be provided to those who request them in Walnut Creek, after city officials approved an ordinance Tuesday intended to reduce waste.
The Walnut Creek City Council voted unanimously to adopt an ordinance identical to 2021’s Assembly Bill 1276, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law in October. Local governments are required to begin enforcing the law by June 1.
The law prohibits restaurants and other entities that sell food from providing single-use utensils and other foodware like cups, straws and stirrers unless a customer asks for them.
Restaurants will also be prohibited from providing condiment packets and sauce containers unless requested by a customer. The law is intended to both reduce costs for restaurants and reduce the amount of waste produced by customers discarding single-use foodware that they don’t need.
Emlyn Struthers, an administrative analyst within the city’s Public Works Department, told the council that the ordinance will also apply to third-party food delivery apps, which will be required to include a method to request utensils.
“So when you get your GrubHub order, it shouldn’t have 10 forks and knives and spoons that you didn’t request,” Struthers said.
Restaurants will receive a warning on their first violation of the ordinance and will subsequently be fine $25 per day, up to $300 annually.
While both the city and county have the authority to enforce the ordinance and levy fines, Struthers said the city plans to take an “education-based approach” and proactively work with local business groups and restaurants.
“We will be working closely with our local business and restaurant groups like our (Chamber of Commerce) and Walnut Creek Downtown to get the word out about these new changes,” she said.
The City of Walnut Creek would be better off banning the use of outdoor speakers at dining establishments. Has anyone else walked by Dia Y Noche and Fuego on Locust on a Sunday afternoon? Not the most peaceful, family-friendly vibe in WC these days…but by all means, ban utensils and condiments lol.
If you ever needed an example of how useless and outright stupid government is, look no further than this idiotic ordinance.
Walnut Creek City Council had to pass a law for this? What happened to common sense?
Common sense isn’t common any more
@Amy I mean, look no further than the comments in this thread. People galore coveting their single-use disposable items.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! There must be no other problems to address in Walnut Creek.
So true!
Walnut Creek City council in recent years has been more concerned about political correctness and being trendy woke that this is more important than crime or homelessness. (Which is come to the city because of their attitude).
They’re almost as stupid as Oakland mayor Libby shaft who gets on TV and with starry eyes tells about how wonderful her city is in diversity, equity ,inclusion, unity etc, wellness becoming unsafe hell hole.
You have to admit they tackle the big ones.
Our family loves Chipotle. However, everytime we go in to one, I make it clear to the cashier WE DO NOT NEED PLASTIC UTENSILS! They usually acknowledge my request and when receiving my order without thought or hesitation fill our bags with about 20 napkins and every utensil known to man. I have to individually open each bag and politely remove and hand back all the waste. Perhaps banning the loud leaf blowers that spray dust around our neighborhood everyday might be something better to focus on.
Chris, you’re right. If I’m picking up food to go take home, I just might own a fork. All these extra utensils are just profits for oil and landfill companies
Brought to you by the new Ministry of Silverware
Hold on, wait a minute, did I read this right? Cups? The customer has to ask for a cup? Are they serious? When a customer orders a beverage, it will be served without a cup unless it’s requested. How will that work? Will the customer have to cup their hands while the server pours the beverage?
Straws should always be served, half the fun is blowing the wrapper across the room.
Nah, I don’t wanna cup. Just pour the coffee in my pocket.
Stupid politicians!
This accomplishes nothing, unless we all do it how does this make an impact? It won’t just a lame virtue signal
Ooooh! Lookie! We’re doing something. The city council is useless.
Enough BS government regulations! Really!!! A crime to give condiments or utensils .If a restaurant wants to ask a customer if they want these things , it’s their decision not the government! Why don’t they concentrate on surging crime in our cities! Unreal!
This is so incredibly wrong. WC city council or any other idiotic council has ZERO business telling restaurants what they can do with their ketchup. I don’t even believe this.
Total Governmental Overreach. Focus on real issues like the financial ignorance of today’s politicians.
Poop in the park but you can’t have a fork
Great job
and don’t monitor dangerous oak trees that are ready to fall over and possibly kill someone. Just knit sweaters for them.:(
…really? nothing better to do than supervise the distribution of spoons and forks? … only thing you want to tackle? why not real issues? gimme a break …. somehow we gotta break that mayor pro-tem constuct
Next you will be required to bring your own.
Useless politicians- but I repeat myself. And how are they gonna enforce it? Who’s gonna go dipping into grub hub bags to see if they’re complying?
Must be an election year in pretending to do something useful. All the problems around and they gotta do this?????
Kick ‘em all out! Effing idiots!
My son and I used to bring our own chop sticks when dining out.
BYO in the old days:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/medieval-knives
I think it’s a great idea!
So many times I throw it all away!
What a waste!
Wait…..cups?!? You have to ask for a cup?!?
“I’ll have a diet Coke and I’d like it in a cup please”.
What?!?
The restaurant should ask what you need, not the other way around.
Maybe they should focus less on reducing this kind of waste and more on the waste filling all the local homeless camps.
So nice to see they were able to take the time from fixing potholes and other important stuff to address this agregasous assault on our environment. Wasn’t this the same city that stood by and WATCHED as looters pillaged ?
Remember that infamous plastic straw legislation, that SAVED the environment ?
We went from plastic straws in paper wrappers to what we have now
paper straws in a plastic wrapper.
“The best minds are not in government.
If any were, business would steal them away.”
–Ronald Reagan
Next time I’m at Chick-fil-a I’m ordering extra napkins, sauce and utensils and throwing the containers in the trash just because WC thinks they can tell private business what to do.
And when I go to Habit Burger in WC, I’m going to fill a dozen little containers with ketchup and also toss them in the trash along with the three extra sets of utensils.
It all goes in the landfill.
I thought the Covid enthusiasts were in favor of single use utensils. I wish they would make up their minds.
Which is it, Covid or green new deal? You can’t have both.
Some of those packages include a napkin to wipe your mouth or blow your nose!
That could save your life!
A Spork eliminates the need for one of the utensils…… how much more do they expect us to give?!!!!
And we have to ask? Like we had to ask for straws for our drinks to save the whales or sea turtles or whatever it was…. I wonder how many people contracted Covid and died from drinking off the edge of the glasses? Ever check for lipstick on the rim of your glass?
Nothing but a tough scrub will remove it and that is mucho trabajo!
We are doomed.
For you pee- ons Government has one responce. OBEY !