Daytona Beach Plastic Regulations
Daytona Beach is a popular tourist destination for students and families alike. It also hosts some of the largest motorsports events, including the Daytona 500. Daytona Beach welcomes thousands of tourists every year, and while managing residents’ waste, it also must deal with the influx of waste during peak visiting times.
Learn more about Daytona Beach’s plastic regulations and initiatives to manage plastic waste and pollution.
Key Takeaways
Learn more about single-use plastics and the legislation surrounding them in the state of Florida and Daytona Beach:
- Single-use plastics harm wildlife and humans.
- In the state of Florida, most single-use items find their way to landfills or waste-to-energy facilities.
- State lawmakers prohibit local authorities from implementing single-use plastic restrictions.
- There are currently no Daytona Beach plastic bag bans or other plastic restrictions.
What’s the Problem With Single-Use Plastic?
Plastic retail bags, straws, and Styrofoam takeout containers are all single-use items that most of us use for a few minutes before throwing them in the trash. While their usefulness is short-lived, they stay in our environment for hundreds of years—they overcrowd landfills and harm wildlife on land and in the ocean. Over time, single-use plastics break down into microplastics, which make their way into our food, water, and bodies—harming our health.
What Are Daytona Beach’s Plastic Regulations?
Most single-use carryout packaging in Florida accumulates in landfills or gets burnt at waste-to-energy facilities. Florida cleanup groups also pick up tons of plastics every year. Here’s how Daytona Beach is dealing with the issue.
Daytona Beach Plastic Laws and Initiatives
Residents and businesses in Daytona Beach are allowed to sell and use plastic bags and Styrofoam items at their own discretion, as there are no bans on these items in the area. The state implemented a bill in 2008 that prohibits local authorities from regulating single-use plastics like bags and Styrofoam, which means Daytona Beach cannot enact its own restrictions.
While the 2008 bill does not cover straws and plastic utensils, the local government did not ban these items, meaning individuals and establishments are free to use them. However, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection does encourage Florida citizens, businesses, and schools to forgo plastic straws. Its Skip the Straw initiative offers individuals and establishments, including those in Daytona Beach, the opportunity to pledge to go straw-less for a week.
Environmental organizations like Dream Green Volusia also advocate for plastic reduction in Daytona Beach. This organization has attended City Hall meetings on numerous occasions to discuss ways to reduce single-use plastics in the area. Currently, Daytona Beach’s plastic reduction initiatives include a weekly curbside recycling program that collects certain plastics.
What Florida Citizens Think About Plastic Regulations
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection surveyed Florida residents in 2021 and found that over 90% of Floridians see the need for single-use plastic regulations. Many establishments and individuals in the state are joining movements like Plastic Free Florida to campaign for local laws restricting single-use plastic.
Help Keep Orlando Green With Greenprint
Greenprint can help address the single-use plastic problem in Daytona Beach and beyond by offering biodegradable products for the foodservice industry. Our products include biodegradable takeout containers, straws, cups, and cutlery. View our product range or contact our team online to find out more.
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