One of the best ways to move Humboldt County toward Zero Waste is to contact your representatives, stay up to date on policy, and vote! Zero Waste Humboldt has recently released several advocacy letters regarding various changes in California legislation. By doing so, we hope to influence policy, educate the community, and encourage Humboldt County to join us in voicing support.
In August, ZWH issued a press release in support of Senate Bill 1335. This legislation would prohibit state agencies and facilities from using food service packaging unless it is compostable or recyclable. While reusable items are always the best option, this bill takes into account that single-use items are sometimes necessary. In those cases, the product must be recyclable and/or compostable by the agency’s regional facility. To support this bill, contact your assembly member Jim Wood at https://a02.asmdc.org/.
Zero Waste Humboldt also released an advocacy letter regarding single-use items at outdoor festivals. In the state of California, it is currently illegal under CA Health Code #114353 to use reusable items at outdoor festivals (such as the North Country Fair or Oyster Fest in Arcata). This makes it near impossible to make these events truly Zero Waste. There is no current effort to change this code, and ZWH hopes to begin to direct the conversation on how to do so.
Most recently, ZWH issued a letter in support of banning single-use straws in the city of Arcata. This was presented at the Arcata City Council meeting on September 5, in the hopes of further persuading local government to work against single-use plastics. While we do not wish to prohibit the use of reusable or compostable straws, we hope to continue the trend of rejecting unnecessary, short-lived plastic products in Humboldt County. Continue to check our social media or contact the Arcata city council to receive updates on this topic.
All letters and further information are available in the News portion of our website. Please email us at contact@zerowastehumboldt.org if you hear of, or are involved in, advocacy issues that ZWH could be a part of.
Zero Waste Humboldt would also like to thank all the volunteers who joined the NEC to cleanup waterways on Coastal Cleanup Day, and everyone who volunteered to help attendees reduce waste all weekend at the North Country Fair in September! YOU are helping to make Zero Waste a reality in Humboldt County!
