Legislation Signed Making Single-Use
Plastic Foodware only Available Upon Request

Following the Westchester County Board of Legislators unanimous passage on March 6, County Executive George Latimer immediately signed into law a measure aimed at further reducing the amount of plastics in the County’s waste stream. The new measure was signed into law at a ceremony hosted outside of the Board of Legislators Chambers. Legislator Erika Pierce, along with chair of the Environment, Energy & Climate committee and Vice-chairwoman Nancy Barr were the main sponsors of this common sense law.

The law states that:

• No food service establishment shall provide single-use foodware or condiment packets to any dine-in or take-away customer unless specifically requested;

• Any single-use plastic beverage stirrers or single-use plastic beverage “splash sticks” are no longer permitted. Retail food stores may sell packages or boxes of single-use plastic beverage stirrers or single-use plastic beverage splash sticks to their customers;

• Lastly, when requested, single-use foodware items or condiment packets must be provided individually and not in a package containing multiple items.

Latimer said: “As we have highlighted time and time again, Westchester County is reducing what we are putting into our waste stream. Through commonsense measures like this, or the myriad of programs undertaken by our County’s Department of Environmental Facilities (DEF), Westchester County is leading the way on reducing waste and I am proud to sign this measure into law. I commend the work done by the Board of Legislators on this important yet simple measure.”

In addition to this new law, Westchester is increasing recycling and reducing waste – and while the environmental benefits of waste reduction and recycling are well known, it also makes good sense economically. In 2022, 74,456 tons of curbside recyclables collected by municipalities within the County’s Refuse Disposal District were delivered to the Daniel P. Thomas Material Recovery Facility (MRF).  Revenue from the sale of these recyclables totaled $7,006,704.59, an increase of over 95% from 2020.