Ditch Disposables: A Business Guide to the Single Use Products Law

At the grocery store or your favorite cafe, you won’t find many plastic bags or Styrofoam cups these days. That is because the 2019 Single-Use Products Law was passed to reduce the environmental impact of non-recyclable disposables. As part of the law, plastic bags, straws, stirrers, and Styrofoam takeout containers were banned or restricted at all food service establishments and retail stores in Vermont.

Whether you are new to the area or need a refresher, here’s a quick breakdown of what this means for businesses and some sustainable alternatives:

Plastic Bags: Banned

• Plastic bags cannot be given out by restaurants or retail stores at the point of sale. Plastic bags labeled as recyclable, biodegradable, and compostable are also banned under this law.
• Exceptions: Plastic bags can be given out for prescription medications, dry cleaning garments, and to contain loose items within a store (e.g., produce, small hardware items, flowers).
• What to do instead: Encourage customers to bring their own reusable bags or offer recyclable paper bags for a minimum 10-cent fee. Businesses can also start their own “take a bag, leave a bag” program to reduce waste.

Styrofoam Food Packaging: Banned

• Stores and restaurants cannot provide or sell food or beverage containers made from expanded polystyrene or “Styrofoam.” This includes expanded polystyrene plates, cups, bowls, trays, take-out containers, and egg cartons.
• Exceptions: Trays for packaging uncooked meat, fish, poultry, or seafood, products packaged out-of-state, and products packaged for sale out-of-state can be made from expanded polystyrene.
• What to do instead: Across the country innovative businesses are finding new ways to reduce the need for disposable take out containers by selling branded reusable alternatives or allowing customers to bring their own. To-go container rentals are becoming more common on school campuses (e.g. UVM and Champlain College) and employee cafeterias. If ditching disposables is not an option, consider switching to recyclable containers made from #1, #2, or #5 plastic.

Stirrers: Banned

• Plastic stirrers are banned from restaurants and should not be provided.
• What to do instead: Consider offering reusable utensils or switch to stirrers made from wood or metal.

Straws: Available By Request Only 

• Plastic straws are not banned but can only be provided to customers by request. This includes straws made from compostable plastic.
• Exceptions: Nursing homes, hospitals, and similar care facilities may give our straws not by request.
• What to do instead: Reduce and switch reusable alternatives! Straws, whether they are plastic, paper, or plant-based materials, are NOT recyclable in Chittenden County. If you are a business that needs to distribute straws, consider investing in some reusable metal straws for dine in customers. Metal straws are durable, can be cleaned in any dishwasher, and can be recycled as scrap metal when they are no longer functional.

Looking to ditch disposables entirely? CSWD can help!

To support Chittenden County businesses, CSWD offers a 50% matching grant for waste reducing projects, free technical consultations, and more! In the past, these grants have been used to help purchase reusables and start new programs. For more information, go to our Help for Businesses page our email CSWD’s Business Outreach Coordinator (gstevens@cswd.net).