City of Glendale Plastic Waste
Stakeholder Engagement Results
Round 2 Survey / Stakeholder Engagement Report
INTRODUCTION
In December 2023, the City of Glendale ( “City”) began stakeholder engagement to solicit feedback from the business community about potential policy details related to the Plastic Waste Reduction Regulations (“PWRR”). ReCREATE Waste Collaborative (“ReCREATE”) was engaged to assist with the stakeholder engagement process and gather data to be analyzed for future outreach efforts.
As part of the first round of business outreach (“ Round 1”), ReCREATE made contact with 219 businesses, ultimately met with 139 businesses and conducted 89 surveys to gather perceptions and feedback related to the draft PWRR. Glendale businesses were educated on the specifics of the proposed PWRR and the details of the recently passed polystyrene ban. Each business was provided with an outreach packet that included a City Purchasing Guide of ordinance- approved products and resources for financial and technical assistance.
A Stakeholder Engagement and Survey Results Report was submitted to the City in February 2024. After reviewing the data, a new version of the PWRR was drafted to address the concerns and feedback included in Round 1 of stakeholder engagement.
In August 2024, ReCREATE conducted a second round of business outreach (“Round 2”) soliciting feedback on the revised regulations from the same stakeholders engaged in Round 1 of the outreach process and seeking to determine whether perceptions had changed since the first round. A total of 77 businesses were re-visited (87% revisit rate) in the second round.
The sections below provide a summary of stakeholder feedback received during the second engagement process along with a comparative analysis of both rounds.
OVERVIEW OF ROUND 2 SURVEY
Out of the 89 businesses surveyed in Round 1, 77 participated in a Round 2 survey (75 restaurant; 2 retail stores). Of the remaining 12, 10 were unable or unwilling to participate and 2 had permanently closed). Additionally, 2 businesses participated in the Round 2 survey that did not participate in Round 1 (data not included in this Report except Question 8 and 9).
Questions Added to Round 2 Survey:
● Does your business have an automatic dishwasher?
● Are you currently using Polystyrene?
● Do you offer a three-stream waste system in the front and back-of-house?
ROUND 2 SURVEY RESULTS
This section includes the results of the Round 2 surveys completed (77 in total).
Question 1: How supportive are you of the updated PWRR?
Question 2: How confident are you in your ability to implement the updated PWRR?
Unsupportive
Very
Supportive
Somewhat
Unsupportive Neutral Somewhat
Supportive
Somewhat Not
Confident Neutral
Somewhat
Confident Not Confident
Very
Confident
Question 3: Reasons for lack of support:
1. Cost (of switching to compostables; of adding reusables/dishwashing)
2. Product availability (contracted supplier does not provide compliant options; supply chain issues)
3. Implementation (product performance (durability/customer satisfaction); reusables implementation (staff/customer participation)
Question 4: Reasons for support:
1. Environmental/health benefits of compostables/reusables
2. The revised policy now permitting the use of recyclable plastic
Question 5: What is the primary barrier you see to implementing the PWRR?
Question 6: What assistance would you like to see the City of Glendale offer?
Question 7: Does the business have an automatic dishwasher?
• 30 out of 77 businesses
• All restaurants without an automatic dishwasher have a three-sink system for handwashing instead.
Question 8: Does the business provide a 3-stream waste system in the “back-of-house” (for employees)? (Includes all 79 Round 2 surveys)
Question 9: Does the business provide a 3-stream waste system in the “front-of-house” (for customers)? (Includes all 79 Round 2 surveys)
Question 10: Is the business currently using/selling polystyrene? If so, why?
• 20 out of 77 restaurants using Polystyrene (26%)
• 2 out of 2 retail stores selling Polystyrene (100%)
Reasons for using/selling polystyrene:
Question 11: The City of Glendale is considering requiring compostable accessories to be implemented first, and other aspects of the PWRR within a year. Do you prefer this phased-in approach?
COMPARISON OF ROUND 1 / ROUND 2 SURVEY RESULTS
To accurately compare Round 1 and Round 2 results, all businesses which did not participate in both rounds of surveys were removed from the data. Below are charts comparing the change in support and confidence amongst the 77 businesses surveyed in both rounds.
Question 1: How supportive are you of the PWRR?
Unsupportive
Very
Supportive
Somewhat
Unsupportive
Neutral
Somewhat
Supportive
Question 2: How confident are you in your ability to implement the PWRR?
CONCLUSION
• 14 % more businesses felt very supportive of the updated PWRR. • 19 % more businesses felt somewhat or very confident in their ability to implement the updated PWRR.
• Businesses were in support of the addition of recyclable materials and the removal of the 25-cent cup fee.
• Business owners and managers would like the City to offer information about where to source compliant products and provide more customer education.
OTHER OBSERVATIONS
● Businesses expressed concern that retail stores located in Glendale still offer polystyrene packaging for sale.
● Businesses expressed concern that food carts and food trucks will not be held to the same standards as brick-and-mortar stores.
● Businesses that will need the most assistance are those that currently use only disposables with no automatic dishwashing capacity and have minimal storage space for reusables.
Somewhat Not
Confident Neutral
Somewhat
Confident Not Confident
Very
Confident
RECOMMENDED NEXT STEPS
1. Education and Outreach
● Identification of priority businesses for additional outreach / expand outreach ○ Those currently using only disposables
○ And/or those that do not have any automatic dishwasher ○ And/or those that have limited storage space for reusables and/or a dishwasher ● Aggressive outreach campaign to offer technical assistance in implementing the PWRR ○ Onsite education and assistance with understanding the guidelines of the PWRR, AB 619, AB 1276, SB1383 and how to implement changes
■ Educational packet
■ Signage
■ Product guide
● Educational Videos
○ Provide information to business on how to comply in video form to be watched at owner/manager’s convenience
● Consider microgrants for dishwashers and/or reusables purchasing ● Continued promotion of rebates from California Green Business
2. Social Media and Print Collateral
● Educate stakeholders on the PWRR
○ Outreach to businesses
■ How to comply with reusables
■ Clear guidelines for compostables/recyclables
■ Explaining why polystyrene is bad / importance of the PWRR ○ Educate customers and residents
■ Highlight the goal of the PWRR in reducing plastic pollution ■ Explain how to bring reusables (clean) and report noncompliant businesses that refuse to accept it
■ Highlight how to properly source separate waste into trash, recycle and organics
■ Remind customers about AB 1276 and that they will have to ask for accessories for take-out orders