Bill > H423

Introduced Session

AN ACT TO REDUCE SINGLE-USE FOODWARE IN TAKE-OUT AND DELIVERY OF PREPARED MEALS. Whereas, single-use accessories for food service are frequently provided to customers that do not need them, resulting in unnecessary cost to food service operators and unnecessary waste that is costly for local governments to manage; and Whereas, one trillion disposable foodware items are used in the United States each year, generating nine million tons of waste; and Whereas, forty percent (40%) of plastics generated are used for packaging purposes, making packaging the number one market for plastics use; and Whereas, the United States uses more than 36 billion disposable plastic utensils annually. Laid end-to-end, this amount of plastic utensils could wrap around the globe 139 times; and Whereas, four million trees are cut down each year in order to make chopsticks in China. Eliminating forests, our natural carbon sink and providers of habitat and clean air, makes no sense during a climate crisis; and Whereas, the manufacturing of napkins requires a significant amount of water. For instance, if fifty percent (50%) of the United States' population used three paper napkins per day, that would total 450 million napkins for one day, which would require 31.5 million gallons of water to manufacture; and Whereas, many single-use foodware accessories are made from plastic, and as much as 23 million metric tons of plastic waste enter the ocean each year, most of it generated in the United States; and Whereas, the amount of plastics in the ocean is projected to exceed the number of fish by 2030; and Whereas, the vast majority of these single-use foodware accessory items are problematic in the waste stream because they are not recyclable. Even when manufactured from recyclable materials, food packaging is usually too dirty to be recycled. Utensils and straws are contaminated in many recycling systems. Plant-based foodware and utensils are often considered contaminants in commercial compost facilities. Bio-plastics do not degrade quickly enough, and paper and other fibers dilute the quality of compost; and Whereas, restaurants in the United States spend $24 billion purchasing disposable foodware items each year; and Whereas, local governments in the United States spend $6 billion managing disposable foodware waste; and Whereas, it is in the interest of the health, safety, and welfare of all who live, work, and do business in the State of North Carolina that the amount of litter on public streets, parks, and in other public places be reduced and the amount of single-use foodware accessory waste be reduced; Now, therefore,

Committee Categories

Deb Butler (D)*,  Pricey Harrison (D)*,  James Roberson (D)*,  Julie Von Haefen (D)*,  Cynthia Ball (D),  Mary Belk (D),  Laura Budd (D),  Maria Cervania (D),  Tracy Clark (D),  Julia Greenfield (D),  Zack Hawkins (D),  Nasif Majeed (D), 

Ref To Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House (on 03/19/2025)

Official Document