Portland City Council directed the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) to develop a strategy to reduce single-use plastics and other disposable items – including plastic straws – and to create an inclusive policy development process.

Why does it matter?

• Plastic straws are the 6th most commonly littered item in the United States, according to a 2017 Ocean Conservancy report.
• Over 663 species, including sea turtles, whales, dolphins and seabirds, are impacted and in many cases, die from ingesting or becoming entangled in the plastic debris. 

Policy Development Work Group

A small work group was formed to help the initial development of the single-use plastic reduction policy. That groups consists of businesses, advocates and people with disabilities. Meetings are happening in July and August to form a recommendation for Mayor Wheeler to consider. Staff from the mayor’s office and BPS will facilitate the conversation and document the feedback.

Community engagement

Once the recommendation from the work group is complete, staff will look to the community to provide additional feedback to the policy. 

How to contribute your ideas

Your input on the proposed policy is very important, we want to hear from you. You can take a survey, call, email, or sign up for email updates on how the project is going:

• Take our single-use plastics reduction community survey.
  
• Send us your questions and comments: 503.823.7202 or wasteinfo@portlandoregon.gov.
• Visit www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/reduceplastics for details and to sign up to receive policy development updates and event notices.