City of Miami Beach Continues its Mission to Reduce Single-Use Plastics

(Miami Beach, FL) Oct 16, 2019 -

As an environmental leader among local governments in the State of Florida, a major goal of the City of Miami Beach is to replace single-use plastics with reusable, recyclable or compostable alternatives whenever possible.

Today, the Mayor and City Commission unanimously passed a fifth amendment to the Rules and Regulations for Beachfront Concession Operations, which requires beachfront concession operators to utilize 100% reusable products, after the expiration of a one-year educational period that will commence this month, with full implementation in October 2020.

“Single-use plastic is neither readily recyclable nor biodegradable and takes hundreds to thousands of years to degrade in the environment,” said Mayor Dan Gelber. “This amendment will support our efforts to reduce litter by reducing discarded single-use plastic containers and wares that contribute to overburdened landfills, threaten wildlife and marine life, and degrade our beaches.”

In the formulation of this amendment, the city administration solicited input from upland owners, beachfront concessionaires, and representatives from Miami-Dade County beach operations. 

“I am thrilled to finally see this piece of legislation come to fruition — this really was a collaborative effort with our concessionaires and city staff,” added Commissioner Micky Steinberg. “By using reusables, we are expecting to eliminate anywhere between 60,000 to 80,000 pounds of garbage each year.”