VISTA — The City Council gave direction on a pair of environmentally conscious initiatives this week, adopting an ordinance limiting plastic water bottles at city events and directing staff to develop another ordinance preventing local retailers from selling polystyrene products.
Under the plastic beverage bottle reduction ordinance adopted Tuesday night, single-use plastic water bottles under one liter cannot be sold or distributed on city property or at city events, including when outside groups rent city property for events. City funds also cannot be used to purchase plastic water bottles under one liter.
The City Council adopted the ordinance on Tuesday night in a 4-1 vote, with Mayor John Franklin opposed. Council members asked for enforcement to be temporarily delayed for three years for youth sporting events or large events drawing more than 30,000 people.
Vista Climate Action Plan Administrator Cassidy McCarthy said the city will focus heavily on education to make sure local groups are informed about the new regulations.
“Staff want to emphasize that the intention of this ordinance is not to enforce administrative citations or penalties, but to provide education and outreach to hopefully incite behavior change and a cleaner, more beautiful Vista,” McCarthy said.
Several residents spoke in favor of the ordinance. Resident and environmental advocate Joe Hood said he has been offered plastic water bottles at city workshops, and sees plastic bottles available for purchase in city vending machines. The city should instead focus on installing water bottle refill stations.
“These experiences highlight how much work remains to be done. If we’re serious about reducing plastic waste, city facilities should lead by example rather than distributing that bottled water,” Hood said.
Other residents shared concerns about the sheer amount of plastic waste on the planet from single-use products, and the negative impacts on oceans, waterways, wildlife, and the human body.
“As a longtime resident of Vista, I cannot speak loudly enough about the detrimental effects of single-use plastics, both on our bodies and on the environment of the only earth we will ever have,” said Diane Nygaard, founder of Preserve Calavera.
Vista Chamber of Commerce CEO Rachel Beld shared some concerns about the logistics of implementing the ordinance for large-scale events like the Vista Strawberry Festival, which draws around 80,000 people to Vista in May.
Beld said the event draws hundreds of vendors, who would all be prevented from selling bottled water unless they each filed a waiver request with the city. Alternatives like canned water can cost three times as much as bottled water, she said.
“This isn’t a problem we can budget our way out of right away. At this scale, on closed streets in the heat, bottled water is really the only reliable way to get water into our attendees’ hands,” Beld said.
Council members recognized Beld’s concerns and said they would favor delaying the ordinance for large events to give them a realistic timeframe to adapt.
Mark Wall, who works with the Vista Farmers Market, said they already banned vendors from selling single-use plastic water bottles a couple of years ago. He said it can be a difficult adjustment at first, but that there are alternatives for beverage containers.
“We’re not after perfection, we’re just after progress,” Wall said. “One of your concerns is vendors at events. They know it’s coming. Some in the markets have done it already.”
Franklin said the ordinance was overreaching and questioned whether it would be truly effective in reducing plastic waste that winds up in the ocean. He also noted that alternatives to plastic water bottles, such as paper and aluminum cups, still have interior plastic coating.
“I plainly object to this level of regulation of every aspect of our lives,” Franklin said.
Councilmember Corinna Contreras said she was disappointed there was no council consensus on the item and questioned why Franklin would not approve it when he has advocated for making Vista a cleaner and more beautiful place.
“It seems that those are just empty words when it comes to implementing an ordinance that would actually do something about that,” Contreras said.
The discussion was briefly derailed by Franklin accusing Contreras and Councilmember Katie Melendez of being disrespectful and trying to interrupt the meeting.
Expanded polystyrene ban
The City Council also directed city staff to bring back an ordinance prohibiting retailers in Vista from selling products made of polystyrene, also known as Styrofoam. This includes food service ware such as plates and bowls, egg cartons, shipping and packing materials, coolers and ice chests, and dock floats and buoys.
City staff also recommended banning pool and beach toys made of foam, but the City Council requested that these items be removed.
This new ban builds upon the city’s existing polystyrene plastics reduction ordinance, passed in 2023, that prevents restaurants and cafes from providing foam food service ware to customers.
City staff said they have received 29 complaints about businesses being out of compliance with the 2023 ordinance, but they have been able to gain compliance through education and outreach.
McCarthy said the new regulations would impact around 100 businesses in the city that currently sell polystyrene products. The city has also worked with the city’s Economic Development Director and the Chamber of Commerce to provide outreach to businesses and said they don’t anticipate major issues.
“Based on current ban experience and state regulations, no significant concerns were identified for implementation and regulation,” McCarthy said.
Franklin also opposed moving forward with further limitations on polystyrene.
The Vista Environmental Commission recommended both the plastic water bottle and polystyrene initiatives. The polystyrene ban was based on what the city of Oceanside has adopted, according to the city.
Other cities throughout North County have banned plastic water bottles at city events and the sale of polystyrene products, including, most recently, Del Mar.
