Getting takeout? You have to ask for plastic utensils and napkins in L.A. now

Restaurants in Los Angeles no longer will freely distribute plastic utensils and napkins and will offer the disposable items only to customers who ask for them.

Under the new ordinance, which took effect Monday for restaurants with more than 26 employees, all single-use plastic utensil dispensers will be removed. Businesses also will stop including plastic utensils and napkins with takeout orders or for dine-in meals unless a customer specifically asks for them.

The new rules are meant to reduce waste and costs for businesses. Over 32,000 mailers were sent out earlier this year to update restaurants on the new rules. The letters were printed in Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog and English, according to Tom Waldman, a spokesperson for Paul Krekorian, one of the City Council members who proposed the ordinance.

Councilman Paul Koretz, who joined Krekorian in the proposal, said the switch to providing plastic utensils only on demand has saved businesses from $3,000 to $21,000 a year, according to figures his office cited when the ordinance was introduced to the City Council in April.

Although the new rules went into effect Monday, enforcement will not start until January. Food and drink businesses will be required to follow the new rules starting April 22.

The city of Malibu set the plastic-ban standard in 2008 when it phased out plastic shopping bags, then a decade later cracked down on single-use plastics. Davis and San Luis Obispo have similar laws, while the state of California has phased out the use of plastic straws to curb plastic waste buildup.

Sheila Morevati from Habits of Waste, a nonprofit that spearheaded the Malibu plastic straw and single-use utensil ban, also helped coordinate the Los Angeles ordinance.

“I call this a triple win,” Morevati said when reached by phone Monday. “It’s a win for the planet, a win for the customers who don’t have to have their junk drawers filled with all this plastic and a win for the restaurants and their bottom line.”

Habits of Waste previously spearheaded the #CutOutCutlery campaign, which resulted in several major food delivery apps adding the option for customers to opt out of receiving single-use cutlery.

Seattle was the first major U.S. city to ban plastic utensils and straws in 2018. Earlier this year, Honolulu banned plastic bags and made single-use plastic utensils available only on demand.