City of Chicago city council rules of conduct for public
meetings, 2023 to 2027, pursuant to the Chicago city
council Rules of Order and procedure rule, 49, the
sergeant-at-arms sets forth, the following rules of conduct
to be followed during the public comment period and the
duration of all committee and City Council, meetings,
profane vulgar, threatening abusive or disruptive language
is not permitted. Demeaning discriminatory or harassing
behavior and speech directed towards others is not
permitted disruptive behavior, including disruptive or
disrespectful conduct hearing others presentations is not
permitted, banners Flyers,
Or signage are not permitted backpacks, large bags, and
sharp objects are not permitted. Clear bags, not tinted in
color that do not exceed 12 by 12 by 6. In will be
permitted in our subject to search all food and beverages
including in metal canisters are not permitted cell phones.
Must be placed on silent prior to entering the meeting
room. Individuals must remain seated, public comment
speakers are permitted to stand only when providing public
comment, small handheld devices may be used only while
seated and the user must refrain from interfering with the
view or hearing of other individuals, individuals or groups
failing to adhere to. These rules will be asked to see such
disruptive conduct and failure to comply. Will result in
there being subject to removal from the meeting by the
Sergeant at Arms.
City of Chicago city council rules of conduct for public
meetings, 2023 to 2027, pursuant to the Chicago city
council Rules of Order and procedure rule, 49, the
sergeant-at-arms sets forth, the following rules of conduct
to be followed during the public comment period and the
duration of all committee and City Council meetings,
profane vulgar threatened.
Abusive or disruptive language is not permitted. Demeaning
discriminatory or harassing behavior and speech directed
towards. Others is not permitted disruptive behavior,
including disruptive or disrespectful condo tearing. Others
presentations is not permitted, banners flyers, or signage
are not permitted backpacks, large bags, and sharp objects
are not permitted. Clear bags, not tinted in color that do
not exceed 12 by 12 by 6. In will be permitted in our
subject to search health food and beverages including in
metal canisters are not permitted cell phones. Must be
placed on silent prior to entering the meeting room.
Individuals must remain seated, public comments speakers,
are permitted to stand only when providing public comment,
small handheld devices may be used only while seated and
the user must refrain from interfering with the view or
hearing of other individuals, individuals or groups failing
to adhere to. These rules will be asked to see such
disruptive
conduct and failure to comply. Will result in their being
subject to removal from the meeting by the Sergeant at
Arms.
Like, that should be.
Good morning.
All right, The Joint Committee.
On Environmental Protection and energy and health, and
human relations will now come to order.
Thank you for your patience. Everyone attending in the
gallery.
If Alder, Pearson's can take their seats, thank you to our
guests for your patience, while we, uh, waited to get
Quorum. Um, thank you for being with us this morning. So
today we've got 1 item before the Joint Committee, a
subject matter hearing on the impacts and reduction of
single-use Plastics in Chicago. We will begin with a roll,
call to establish Quorum. Um Alder person, hadn't chair is
present, um, Vice chair Ramirez.
All right. Uh chairwoman Rodriguez Sanchez. Uh, Vice chair
kuden.
Alder LV.
Alder Robinson.
Um, Alder Lopez.
Alder tabaris.
Alder sigcho Lopez.
Alder Fuentes.
Alder Cruise.
Um, Alder Conway.
Alder Quezada.
Alder, Reilly
Alder Lawson.
Alder clay.
Alder Martin.
Alderman, a hoppenworth.
And fantastic. All right, we've got. What is that put
aside?
11 there being a 11 members present, we have a quorum. Um
do we have anybody joining virtually?
All right, joining us virtually. We have Alder clay. Um
could I per rule 59 could I have a motion to approve? Alder
Clay's, participation remotely.
All right, Alder laspata moves. All those in favor.
All those opposed.
All right, in the opinion of the chair, the eyes have it.
Um let's see. Any non-members present? No.
Fantastic. Um so at this time we're going to begin our
public comment period, public comment uh will be limited to
to 30 minutes and out of respect, for everyone's Time, Each
speaker will be limited to 3 minutes. Um, uh, we will have
1 virtual speaker, uh, Richard Warz. And if we could
with him, that would be great.
My name is Rich, Suarez. I'm in Native Chicago in the 13th.
I've been a ride share driver for over 10 years. I've given
over 46,000 rides in regards to Human and Health and
relations. We have an ongoing, Human and Health crisis in
Chicago ride. Share, drivers continue to be tacked. Uber's
mindset. We are not responsible for reducing crime per Alex
fake Uber lead negotiator, Uber may not be responsible for
the Riders behavior. However, Uber and Lyft are responsible
for helping create the opportunity for the driver being
attacked. The driver has no clue as to who the rider may
be, if it is a re real person at all named like baby, my
info mom. My favorite teenager or even just an initial
without a picture to verify a real identifiable picture.
Not just a picture of a pet Anatomy character or just an
eyebrow. The drivers put in an extremely vulnerable
position.
Before the rider even gets to the car, which is behind the
driver.
Uber and Lyft head guards at the entrance to their office.
They verify who the person is and what their purpose is.
We asked to verify your purpose. We are we are to ask you
for a guard. We is it too much to ask for real verification
to our recognizing credible process. How many taxing lives
will it take before Uber and Lyft take driver. Safety.
Serious moms wives dads, fathers Sons and Daughters
drivers, help, contribute to society. We help people get to
their doctor and medical appointments. We help businesses
Thrive. We help reduce the eu's euis. They have a direct
impact to innocent lives through fatalities and lifelong
injuries. We already know who we're lifting not care about
passenger safety. Look at Uber's tiny, tiny safety button.
If you can even find it, have a scroll through
advertisement before you find the safety button. Definitely
reflects Uber's dismissive mindset regarding safety. What
does it even have? An audio record option? As far as I'm
aware, how many lives have already been impacted? Does Uber
Lyft, even keep records of reports of drivers or pass.
Being attacked verifiable reports, not just an
uninvestigated. Allegation, is the foyer request from a
local law enforcement necessary. The public only knows of
these attacks because of meter reports in YouTube videos,
our Uber and Lyft willing to share this data, what would
take for Uber, and the list to create an Implement
meaningful. Safety features. This is a Human and Health
crisis within the
Writer in the street, within the city of Chicago, the
citizens of Chicago need the help of our city council. We
ask for a full support for the fair share, ordinance,
Workforce, document 02023, D 000001, 1748. My name is
Richard Warz. I've been a writer driver for over 10 years.
Fast approaching 47,000 rides across right? Share platform
side, car via Uber and Lyft thank you for your time.
Thank you, Rich. All right. Next up. We have George
Blakemore.
Parkland in.
The human relation and environment.
Toxic environment.
It's a toxic environment here. I know you dealing with
press.
And the that's 1 type of toxic environment.
But it's a toxic environment down here, all litty White.
All Lily White.
Do you think that just happened?
No.
This toxic Democratic machine made this happen.
This says p.
69, oh, Mr. Blakemore used 69, yes from the county to the
city.
A toxic environment is here.
99% of these people are here, a Democrat.
No 2 parties system. No more party system that in itself is
toxic.
It's not good government.
you need to check and balance, you don't want to have all
of 1 party, all of 1 opinion, all these white folks just
didn't pop up here.
It was such a engineering here.
and we have about 1 or 2 blacks here,
So, it's something wrong with this system.
Go red.
Flip red, go.
Blue.
Go black. We're the only people when they, you have a toxic
environment, go to the ghetto.
Go to our school when they close up these factors and look
in your yard, they move them to the black ghetto. So,
This just didn't happen.
With all these white folks are here today, come by and made
this happen, the toxic Democratic machine.
you've been stealing my money, you are still
saw a sugar out of a swinging out of sugar. You enslaved
us. That was a constant environment on this slave ship and
we have no black people.
Not any?
And it doesn't happen. The black man. Mine is messed up.
On the plantation.
the white Master made an end, you use the word in
That's the same word that also we use over here and you
forgave him I didn't say n****. I said in
So I'm sure you gonna forgive me.
Aha in our God black people. We must trust. This is a toxic
environment.
Thank you Mr. Blakemore, all right um I want to I'm going
to go ahead and name everybody. That's going to get a
chance to speak for public comment and and you guys will go
in the order. Um, just so as folks are waiting so we're
going to have
Thank you, Mr. Blakemore
All right, uh, next up, we're going to have Jane Ruby.
Followed by Edith freeze.
Followed by Jordan Parker.
Followed by Tessa Murray.
Followed by Jane Goldenberg.
Followed by an Ridge, followed by Adam Goldstein, followed
by Christine Ronin. So, 1 person stand at a time. Um, but
just so you guys know that's who we'll be speaking today.
So, uh, Jane, thank you.
Hi everyone. Thank you for holding this hearing.
Uh my name is Jane Ruby. I live in the first word. I'm also
president of the League of Women Voters of Chicago and I'm
here on behalf of the League of Women Voters, but also on
on behalf of my 2-year-old son who deserves to grow up in a
world free of plastic and free of, you know, a lot of other
stuff that is happening to the environment right now.
As we pull back from using fossil fuels, to cook heat our
homes and fuel our cars, the fossil fuel industry has found
a new lifeline and that's Plastics.
Fear and soda cans and canned foods are lined with it more.
And more of our fresh food is prepackaged with it.
Coca-Cola no longer refills. Their iconic glass bottles,
they stock the shelves with plastic bottles that are only
minimally recyclable. Our cleaning supplies have been
infiltrated with convenient pods, tablets, sheets and
wipes, all made with plastic.
Additionally, our country's single-use quikserv. Mindset
has furthered this explosion of plastic, we pick it up and
deliver it to our homes made to order food and polystyrene
foam. Containers containing a known human carcinogen
and paper boxes coated with plastic to make them leak
resistant, rendering them unable to be recycled or
composted.
We've come to expect our groceries to be bagged double
bagged. Even with single-use plastic bags that end up in
our landfills, where they remain forever. And as litter
hanging out in tree, limbs in our gutters and along our
lake and river fronts,
Then all of this plastic lingers and degrades into smaller
and smaller pieces becoming microplastics that we inhale
eat and drink.
To pile on additional chemicals are being intentionally
added to Plastic Products or any rifle with chemicals to
keep food fresh for longer periods.
There are so many chemicals the FDA has no way of keeping
up.
So there are a few constraints in our food is unprotected,
this should give us pause.
There is no way to recycle our way out of this problem.
Less than 12% of all Plastics, get recycled and only 1% are
effectively recycled
Meaning it just the same, it's just plastic on top of
plastic on top of plastic.
Single-use Plastics are just that single use.
So we need to turn off the tap. We need to say no we need
to ban the worst of the worst, then we need to go farther.
We need to demand the fossil fuel industry and chemical
companies pay to clean up this mess.
We need to do this for our health, the health of the planet
and every living thing on it moving forward. I hope we can
see action. And that's on behalf of myself. Everyone here
and my 2-year-old son, who I can't even imagine how many my
microplastics are in his body right now. So thank you so
much to the committee.
Thank you, Jane.
Next up is Edith freeze.
Hey, good afternoon everyone community members. My name is
edit Chris. I come to as a daughter of pakama kitwa women
indigenous of the Andes.
I stand here on behalf of my foundation and the yakub water
conservation program to share the truth. We are living.
Mother Earth does not belong to us. We belong to mother.
Earth.
Every Saturday morning alongside of a growing circle of
volunteers.
We clean the shores of mantras Beach.
In Chicago.
We?
Find week after week are the broken remains of our
societies excess.
Plastic bags cans plastic utensils. Straws bottles bags.
These fragments of pollution are just leader. They are the
invisible chains, suffocating the lungs of our ecosystem
and poisoning, our sacred Waters.
We're not just cleaning a beach.
We are upholding sumac cowi.
It is our indigenous ethic of well, living with Community
BYOD diversity and humans.
Furthermore.
Um,
I would like to say that we are not just cleaning the
beach, like I said before,
uh, I'm not just a scientist at the title at Northwestern
University.
I am a community scientists, as well.
And also, I am a teacher woman that carries indigenous
knowledge and ethics to protect Waters.
Microplastics are linked with lawn and colon cancer by
University of California.
We are now studying how microplastics enter Waters in our
biodiversity and eventually in our bodies.
Our findings are deeply traveling where working in
conjunction with Northwestern University now and pakama
Foundation.
Yet, they are firm that our elders. Always knew what you do
to the water. You do to yourselves.
But this is also a message of Hope.
Our Jakob program has mobilized over 300 volunteers.
Collaborating with CPS schools, communities of color, this
proportionate and minorities here in Northern Chicago.
And build Bridges between science and Indigenous knowledge.
Our youth are asking questions engaging in cleanups and
learning. What water is life, not just waste.
today, I asked you not only for support
but for recognition,
Thank you. Thank you, Edith.
Our next speaker is Jordan Parker again, followed by Tessa
Murray and Jane Goldenberg.
Good afternoon.
I'm Jordan Parker and I'm the founder of the nonprofit
trevini Institute.
15 years ago. In my mid-30s, I developed a fibroid tumor.
That grew to the size of a cantaloupe and Gulf to my uterus
and attached to my bladder.
Throughout years of suffering and a $300,000 hysterectomy.
Every doctor told me the same thing.
We don't know why this happens.
I worry about my years.
Of stopping at Starbucks for a triple venti latte.
In a disposable cup. Now in 2025, we know that the thin
plastic lining in single-use coffee, cups can leech toxic
chemicals and phthalates in our beverages.
You're about to hear compelling testimony from our
panelists today on the harm of single-use plastics.
Which will beg the question.
So, what do we do about this?
By far, the best solution to this problem is reduction of
plastics and moving to reuse systems. And in order to do
that we must design policy that changes consumer Behavior.
my campaign bring your bag Chicago works for 6 years on
Chicago, check out bag, tax passed in 2016,
The policy is now dangerously close to being wiped out by a
Statewide law. And I take some personal responsibility for
this.
Looking at the numbers, alone is easy to conclude that this
policy policy doesn't work to reduce waste.
It has generated over 90 million dollars in Revenue in 8
years.
That's over 1.8 billion bags that were sold or roughly 430
bags, used every minute for the last 8 years.
The real problem. However, is that on top of a pandemic?
The tax stays stagnant for 8 years and consumers got used
to it.
7 to 10 cents is not going to trigger loss aversion
anymore.
But what if we could effectively change, consumer behavior
and generate critical Revenue?
For our cities. Particularly in a time when budgets are in
crisis.
I have designed a policy called the progressive bag policy,
and all of you should have this concept paper in your
packets,
Through small incremental, increases of 5 to 10 cents
annually.
The policy could generate more than 300 million dollars
over the next decade for Chicago and the same amount for
retailers.
All while effectively changing consumer Behavior.
This is a win-win-win.
Even at our record consumption of bags. Last year per
capita usage in Chicago. Is 162 bags annually?
This is about half the national average of 365 bags per
person which shows just how bad the problem is and that we
are on the right track in Chicago.
With our current federal government being unpredictable,
this could be the beginning of a new environmental
Environmental Policy era in Illinois that protects human
health.
Supports retailers and generates revenue for our cities.
Thanks so much.
Thank you, Jordan.
Our next speaker is Tessa Murray followed by Jean
Goldenberg. Uh followed by Anri.
Good afternoon members of the committee. My name is Tessa
Murray and I'm here today on behalf of friends of the
Chicago rivers board staff and more than 43,000 members to
express our strong support for the city to address the
plastic.
Pollution problem.
Friends of the Chicago, River has been working since 1979
to protect and restore the Chicago khaliat River system for
all people water, and Wildlife. At that time, there were
fewer than 10 species of fish, that lived in the river
through persistent policy, advocacy and planning education,
and Outreach, and on the ground improvements. We've seen
remarkable progress, fish. Populations have rebounded going
from fewer than 10 species to over 80.
Recreational use of the river is growing and natural areas
along the river banks are recovering, but all of this
progresses at risk. If we continue to allow single-use
Plastics, to enter our waterways unchecked plastic
pollution is ubiquitous, plugging storm drains and tangling
fish and birds breaking down into microplastics, that
contaminate water and Wildlife and ruining the Aesthetics
of our natural areas. It affects everything from Aquatic
Life to people paddling your fishing in the river and to
volunteers who turn out by the thousands each year to clean
it up.
Plastics are also a growing Public Health threat
microplastics have been found in our drinking water food
sources and even human bloodstreams. Addressing this
pollution is not just an environmental concern, it's a
public health imperative. We cannot recycle our way out of
this crisis. The Only Way Forward is to reduce the demand
and production of single-use plastics at the source, we
urge you to take action to ensure the progress we've made
and revitalizing the Chicago calat River system and our
great city as a whole is not undone by plastic waste. Thank
you.
Thank you, Tessa.
Um next up we have Jane Goldenberg followed by an Ridge
followed by Adam Goldstein. And our last speaker will be
Christine Ronin.
Hi, good afternoon. Uh, my name is Jane Goldenberg and I'm
a resident of the 44th Ward.
I'm a member of the Chicago Metro chapter of the climate
reality project, which former vice president Al Gore
started to educate people about the ongoing effects of our
climate crisis.
Which is caused by the rise of greenhouse gases. Primarily
from the burning of fossil fuels.
Plastic is becoming a much larger part of the story.
As we suffer ever more serious consequences of climate
disasters and I know firsthand what this costs as I lost my
house in a flood that hit parts of Cook County in 2008.
And as we know these floods, keep coming, our society needs
to do, more to address this problem at a systemic level.
as the world increasingly turns toward cleaner, green
energy in the form of solar wind, and battery power, which
is the good news, the fossil fuel companies, see plastic as
their future.
In fact, the International Energy agency reported in 2018,
the petrochemicals are rapidly becoming the largest driver
of global oil consumption.
3/4 of all petrochemical production is for the manufacturer
of plastic.
Half of all Plastics ever produced have been manufactured
in the last 2 decades, and production is expected to Triple
by 2060. According to the oecd
we need to choke off demand for plastic so we can continue
to have a healthy climate for human life through the end of
the century and beyond
We have worked hard to begin our transition away from
fossil fuels, and the transportation and energy, sectors.
So we cannot allow Plastics to be the lifeline for fossil
fuel.
Especially since Plastics have disastrous consequences for
our environment and human health. As you will hear more
about today. The scale of this pollution toxic both in its
production and disposal is global and far, worse in
communities of color and low-income just look at cancer
alley in Louisiana.
What we in the city of Chicago can do is to use policy to
make it harder to distribute and circulate, harmful
single-use plastic. I hope you will see the scourge as a
public policy emergency, we need urgent action. Thank you
for the opportunity to speak today.
Thank you, Jane.
All right, next up and
And ridge. Um I'm in the 47th Ward on the 47th, Ward green
Council and here representing organizing for Plastics
Alternatives. Today I'm going to read a letter written to
you by Barbara Cooper, who's the co-founder of a Plastics
organizing for Plastics Alternatives. She would be very
grateful for this hearing today. I'm sorry that she can't
be here but I know this is something that she had wanted to
see happen for a very long time. So here's her letter to
you to the environment and health committees, we are
grateful for this opportunity for you to hear about the
current research and impacts of plastics, on our health and
and the health of the environment, that is affecting people
all over the world, Dr. Leo transcende from the New York
University Center, for the investigation of environmental
hazards. Says, in the film, we are all plastic people. Now,
we are all part of the largest experiment, ever conducted
to, which we had not agreed to.
While you were in the Committees while you in the Committees
have many items of legislation on your plate. You may not
be able to totally focus on this 1. Many of us are here,
are well-versed in the scientific studies that are coming
out that enable us to see the ramifications of smaller and
smaller and smaller nanoparticles in our bodies and our
environment. Nanoparticles have been part of us for a long
time. We just weren't able to see them.
The plastic problem comes from the petrochemical industries
that have known about this problem, since the 1950s and who
have chosen to spend their money confusing. The issue with
mis of recycling, of all types, but which have never come
into any kind of meaningful reality. Thus the taxpayers and
the planet are left with a rampant problems that are piling
up, all over the world above the ground, in the air, in the
water. In the food, we ate in our babies bodies.
Frequently the issue of expensive Rises when talking about
single-use. It's so cheap. So convenient, why do we really
weigh in The Upfront cost in the product of the and the
product which the costs leaves us with? Um, after the
producers have taken their profits, is it convenient to
deal with expenses of human health, that will be affecting
us for generations to come, is it cheap to figure out what
to do with these items only to use them for 10, or 10, 10,
or 30 minutes and then be tossed out?
As we debate these issues, the fossil fuel industry is
ramping up single-use plastic production to Triple by 2050.
We can put our finger in the dike but might hold back. The
onslaught of what is sure to come. We can talk about
expenses to retailers, and restaurant tours and defend
use of these items. But what is needed, now is a total
rethink of how our society uses resources and contributes
to the continuation of Life on this planet. As we know it,
we need to do it in more sustainable ways and we have to
take that course of action. Now,
The petrochemical industrial complex must be tackled the
same way. We dealt with tobacco and asbestos, we must
create powerful legislation that limits their control and
make them pay for the Havoc. They are raking around the
world. We cannot treat the Earth.
Thank you so much.
Next up is Adam Goldstein followed by Christine Ronin?
Uh, thanks for having me and everyone here. My name is Adam
Goldstein. I'm a lifelong Chicago resident, and I've been
the board of the Chicago recycling Coalition for more than
20 years. Uh, some of you may have heard about us. Um, I'm
here today with the unanimous support of the CRC to urge
you to take meaningful action to break the city away from
single-use Plastics.
The CRC if you recall was instrumental in encouraging the
city to dump the famous Infamous blue bag program.
where recycling was placed in blue plastic bags in in the
waste hauling stream in hopes that it would be plucked out
the recycling plucked out from the garbage.
Um, I think most of, you know how that turned out. It was
an abject failure.
Today we have blue carts. We're in a much better position
now
But it is not really time to recycle properly.
And handling plastic waste is a big part of that.
Um, you will hear today or maybe you've already heard that
micro and nanoplastics. Um,
Shed.
And they they uh, infiltrate our world.
Um, and they have serious health consequences for all our
residents, they take generations to break down are now
inescapable and are found all over the globe.
And not only that from the crc's perspective.
The so-called plastic recycling Solutions are not
Solutions.
In many cases, programs are incinerating the plastic which
emits toxic chemicals.
Contaminate natural resources and are in fact in violation
of the Clean Air Act.
Moreover, again from the crc's perspective, some Plastics
can be down recycled for reuse, but they still have to add
virgin plastic material to that to make them effective.
We can do better. All of us can do better. The city of
Chicago can do better.
And we cannot be allured by the convenience and inexpensive
nature of single-use plastics.
Whatever we might be saving now, we're going to pay dearly
later. In fact, we're already paying for it now and maybe
the worst part of this problem is that it's going to affect
not just us.
But everyone in future Generations. We owe it to our future
generations to make a difference now.
Let's turn up the spigot of single-use plastics as soon as
possible on on behalf of the CRC, let's work together to
make meaningful legislation to make a difference. Thank
you.
Thank you so much.
Our last speaker is Christine Ronan.
Hello. I'm uh, Christine Ronin. I'm from the 32nd Ward. And
uh, I just, uh, this should I just want to give you a list?
Of the effects of microplastics. Now, scientists say that
microplastics.
Have been found inside the embryos. Inside our unborn
babies.
This is truth.
We all have microplastics in our system, everybody does.
All over the world.
and the effects of microplastics, they don't know exactly
what but they contribute to immune system disruption
cardiovascular disruption respiratory problems cancer
nervous system, disruption, gastrointestinal disruption,
stroke inflammation, reproductive system, destruct
destruction cell damage and heart attacks.
And there's more.
So we got to get rid of plastics, microplastics are from
the breakdown of plastic, so,
Let's get rid of them.
Thank you.
Thank you very much Christine.
All right. Uh, before we proceed, we've been joined by
Alder Fuentes for Quorum. Thank you. And um we have all our
crews um on virtually per rule. 59, could I have a motion
uh
So move from Alder Quezada. Uh so moves to allow Alder
Crews to participate remotely all those in favor. Say I
Any opposed say nay?
All right. Alder crews. Are you with us?
I'm here, Madam chair. Fantastic. Thank you.
All right. Um our public comment period has concluded. I
want to thank all of our speakers today, um, for those who
signed up and didn't get to speak or sorry, we didn't have
time. Um, thank you for your presence today. And, um, uh,
for committee members, you have been emailed, um, uh,
copies of any written public comment, that was submitted to
us, um, as well as things that public commenters mentioned.
So you have been emailed, uh, those documents for you to
take a look at um, so let's see.
Um, all right. With that our first order of business is the
October 2023 joint committee rule 45 report, which was sent
to members of The Joint Committee via email, could I have a
motion to approve, the rule, 45 report,
All right, Alder person, Martin soes moves, uh, all of
those in favor. Say I
Any opposed in the opinion of the chair, the eyes have it.
All right. Our first item on today's agenda is resolution R
202300000002936 calling for hearings on the impacts and
reduction of single-use Classics in Chicago. Um, may I have
a motion to recommend approval of this item
All right, uh, Allure laspata. So moves all those in favor.
Say I
All right. Any opposed say, nay?
The opinion of the chair is the eyes have it? Um, we will
report this vote as a recommendation to pass at the next
city council meeting on May 7th 2025
Um, with that, we would like to, you know, take a moment to
introduce our panel and uh, I'm wondering if chair Ramirez.
If you have anything you would like to, to say, I know. And
I know um,
Well, I do want to thank um, Alderman, Martin for bringing
this, um, to the 2 Comm The Joint Committee. Um, we have a
wonderful list of, um, panelists here today. Would you like
me to introduce them?
Yes, and after the introduction, we'll see if Alderman
Martin wants to do an interest. Perfect, awesome. Okay. So
joining us we have John Schmidt from the Coalition for
plastic reduction, Dr. Ho hoellein.
From Loyola University.
Dr. Prince and Dr. Sargious from UIC, Dr. Jones from the
University of Richmond, Christina, cyber and Seema khashab
from the Statewide recycling needs assessment advisory
Council, Bethany bar barbuti from Eco and Flamingo and Kate
Um, forgive me fgmo.
From necessary and sufficient coffee.
Fantastic. Um, Alderman. Martin, if you would like to, this
is your resolution. If you'd like to uh, speak about it.
Uh, before we get into our panel presentations, be happy to
to, um, thank you chairs and and thank you all members of
The Joint Committee for being here. Um, is was, uh,
referenced in some ways during our public comment earlier
today, but I think to put a finer point on it, each year
about 22 million pounds of plastic enters. Our Great Lakes
including Lake Michigan, which is our largest source of
public drinking water. Uh, the what results are
microplastics, which end up in our soil in our waterways,
which directly impact our bodies in the environment. And
this is a problem that is only growing the fossil fuel
industry.
May triple Plastics production by uh 2050 which means that
more debris from synthetic textiles bottles bags. Even
tires will end up in our landfills and our waterways. And
once they're ingested by people, uh, the excessive amounts
of microplastics as we heard earlier can worsen
cardiovascular, as well as respiratory problems.
We need to uplift experts research on the biological and
environmental impacts of our single-use plastic consumption
and how we can reduce it. Uh, my sincere, thanks to many
groups within this broader Coalition, including organizing
for plastic alternatives for their leadership on this
important issue as well to as well as to chair's Haden uh
Rodriguez Sanchez um and Ramirez uh and your staff members,
uh, Leslie Perkins, Jonathan naggie for convening us today.
Thank you.
Thank you Alderman, Martin.
So we asked our panelists today to share specific
information on the environmental and health consequences of
microplastics, and to discuss the efforts. Currently
underway at the state level to comprehensively address, the
issue of single-use plastics from production to end of
life. And finally um thank you again to our small business
partners Eco and Flamingo and necessary. And sufficient
coffee. Um who've come to share, how they have successfully
implemented, sustainability initiatives in their small
businesses, including the elimination of single-use
plastics, we have asked each panelist to limit their
testimony to know.
More than 5 minutes. Um, so that we have ample time for Q&A.
Um, so with that I'm going to turn it over to our panelists
to introduce themselves and share additional info. Um, and
again, thank you for joining us today.
Uh, we'll start with John Schmidt.
Microphone up.
Or there we go. Okay? Thank you, chairwoman Haden. Um, my
name is John Schmid. I'm in the 47th Ward and I'm really
appreciate the work of alderman. Martin over the past years
to this uh, to this issue. Um, I want to quote Charlie and
11 year old to start our conversation today. Um, he spoke
in Springfield last month. He said, when we know better, we
do better.
Um, try to was quoting his parents something that they
admonished him to do, but he was also quoting Maya Angelou.
I don't know if he knew that when we know better, we do
better. Um, this here this hearing is about understanding
the problem of single-use plastics, so that together we can
do something about it. Now, we're able to have this
opportunity thanks to Alderman, Martin from 47. Um, he
forwarded the resolution from his green Council to city
council.
It was moved to Alder alderwoman, um, Haden's, um,
committee Council on committee and and energy environment.
So we thank you um, for the conversations and movement that
that we've had on this over the past years. And um, you you
and your staff have been staunch supporters of
environmental issues and we deeply appreciate that. And
we're also thankful to alderwoman Rosanne Rodriguez,
Sanchez, who chairs
Health and Human Relations Committee. Um, each day, we are
learning more and more about the dire Health impacts on on
all of us, in addition to the environmental issues that we
know so much about as well.
I also want to welcome and thank the community, cultural
advocacy and Civic organizations um, that have been working
working so tirelessly for so many years in Chicago and
around the state to bring this issue of single-use plastics
to our attention, is this a great opportunity for us to
share with the public about this issue and we thank you for
your work?
Um, I also brought petitions we have about 1,200 petitions,
um, to the attention of Mayor Johnson asking him to be
involved in take action on this issue as well.
Personally I've been working on the problem of of single
use Plastics over the past 5 to 6 years through organizing
for plastic Alternatives and Coalition for plastic
reduction. These are 2 scrap, Civic organizations. And in
that time my relationship to Plastics particularly
single-use Plastics has changed dramatically. I try to do
everything I can to limit my exposure and do the right
things, but I also realize it'll never be enough. I and
countless people like me are saying no to Plastics but we
still see corporations and Industry seeking to double and
triple production in the next years, um, and many of this
much of this um increase is targeting single use. This is
unsustainable for a world that has already reeling from
Myriad assaults on our natural and built environments.
So what I'm going to do is I'm going to provide a short
framing of the problem and then we'll turn it over to much
smarter people than me, who will discuss the start Dire
impacts both to our environment and our health. So here's
the narrative Arc for the day. I will talk a little bit
about the nature of the problem with single-use plastics,
then we will have folks talking about the impacts on the
environment and our health. And then we're going to start
to talk about what we can do. We don't expect to arrive
with a policy or a legislative consideration. Today. That's
the work to come, but we want to be in point in that
direction.
So the problem of plastics begins with the extraction of
fossil fuels that are Platt that are processed into
Plastics. And fracking is a primary extraction tool in the
production of of of plastics, we know that fossil fuel
extraction and use contribute enormously to climate change.
And the City Council on. Its wisdom has already. Um passed
a resolution, recognizing the state of emergency when it
comes to the climate, we also know that the fossil fuel
industry has not been straight with us about the dangers of
fossil fuels or Plastics. Now as demand for traditional
uses of fossil fuels, declines with the ascendants of
renewable energy resources, the Plastics chemical fossil
fuel Industries are seeking to capitalize on agend up
demand for Plastics.
That's the first stage in the life cycle. The second is the
pro is the processing and production of plastics. These
energy, intensive factories are often placed in front line
environmental justice communities. They bear the burden of
production of single-use plastics. Once complete these raw
materials are shipped around the country and around the
world for development into products, companies like Coke
and Pepsi shifted away from glass and cans de decades ago.
And now produce billions of plastic bottles very, very few
of which are ultimately downside cycled into lesser
products. A tiny percentage of plastics gets down cycled,
not recycled into lesser platax. It just makes more
economic sense to produce virgin Plastics, so that's what
we do and that's a problem.
Third stage in the cycle, disposal, and waste is the next.
Here's a spoiler ruler. Alert Classics are not a good
candidate for recycling.
It's almost all waste. That is impossible contained. Now,
here's the theory of recycling, um, action today, it relies
on billions of people making billions of decisions to get
their plastic into the right place. Even if they do that,
there's no guarantee that that's going to get recycled.
Tiny, tiny, uh, tiny hope of that happening. So consider the
the things that are used for a few minutes, then thrown
away plastic. Cutlery, styrofoam coffee cup, 12 oz plastic,
water bottle plastic plate, plastic container for daily
iced coffee.
Even if it makes even if these items make it to recycling,
the complex nature of the Plastics keeps them from being
being a legitimate candidate for recycling. The vast
majority go into our Municipal landfills Rivers, Seas ocean
streets.
And ourselves last stage is maybe the most Insidious,
that's when the plastic begins to break down, and
decompose. And when that finally starts to happen, which
can take hundreds of years, um, they find their way into
our food, our soil, our waterways, our air, and our bodies
think of it as a spoonful of plastics. Every week, a bowl,
full of a month, a plate full of year. In, each of us, we
are walking scientific experiments and we don't know what
the outcome is.
But here's the good news, there are people who are fighting
back at an international level. The UN is in the final
stages of a treaty that would limit single-use Plastics
across the globe at the federal level. There's the break
free from plastic pollution Bill amazing in its scope and
aspiration but not likely to pass in the current, um,
Congress at the state level. We're making some progress
incrementally on styrofoam and plastic bags in Chicago.
Here's our chance.
Other municipalities are tackling this problem. We think
Chicago can take similar actions. Some of you may be
remembered the plastic free Waters ordinance that stalled
during the pandemic about 5 years ago, that's 1 example in
other cities across the country and world cities are
passing legislation that limit and ban single-use products.
So, the opportunity is here, we look forward to working with
you and your committees on this critical problem. There's
There's plenty to do today. We tell the story beginning
tomorrow. We take Charlie's idea to heart, when we know
better, we do better. Thank you.
Good afternoon, thank you for the opportunity to be here.
My name is Tim hoellein, I'm a environmental scientist at
Loyola University, Chicago and I've been doing research on
on plastic glitter in the environment for about uh 15
years. I want to share a little bit about what we know
about Plastics and why the public policy is essential to
reduce their impact. Uh, of course, we all buy and throw
away plastic daily because it's built into our economy and
our activities. And at a global scale, the demand and
production of plastic increases, every year that means the
amount of plastic isn't just growing, it's accelerating
From 1950 to 2015, the World. Produced about 6,300 million
metric, tons of plastic waste about 80% of that ended up in
landfills or the environment. And only about 9% was
recycled.
Because plastic breaks down so slowly. And because it's
often lightweight, it can be distributed throughout the
world, which means we find it. Uh everywhere we find it in
our city streets and waterways but also on isolated
mountain tops and in the deepest parts of the ocean,
Plastics, as we as we've heard are made from oil, their
structure is a long chain of carbon atoms called a polymer.
And those polymers have familiar names like polyethylene,
polypropylene PVC, uh, but Plastics aren't just made of
polymer. They're made with, um, additional chemicals
manufacturers. Embed additives into the kind of skeleton of
the polymer and those additives give the product to
different properties, like flexibility heat, resistance or
antimicrobial properties.
The additives can make up to about half of the mass of some
plastic items. And those additives are not always
chemically bound to the plastic polymer. So they can leave.
They can leech out of the plastic in the environment or
when it's inside of of living things.
So plastic pollution as we catalog. It exists in many
different forms. The polymers. The additives are all,
variable. But also, so are the sizes. So the large items we
call macro plastic. We can visually detect and pick up but
pick up, but we're also concerned about micro Plastics
which we Define as 1 micrometre to 5 millimeters. Some of
those you can see so 5 millimeters is maybe the width of a
pinky nail, uh, but many are microscopic at the, uh, Nano
Micron scale.
Smaller than 1 Micron. We have nanoplastics and
nanoplastics are of a particular concern because they can
enter cells.
So uh my research team, we asked questions really uh where
is the plastic in our waterways coming from, where does it
go? And how does it interact with living things in the
environment? Uh, ultimately we know that plastic enters our
our rivers and lakes from littering storm water, waste
water combines sewers and Manufacturing facilities, most of
the large plastic items. We find are single-use items.
These are food, wrappers, drink, containers and smoking
related waste over time. The larger items will break into
smaller fragments and among the most prevalent microplastic
fragments we find are, uh, fibers. So, these are little
pieces of uh of plastic from synthetic textiles like
polyester or acrylic. They find their way into our laundry
into our wastewater treatment stream and out back into the
environment.
That plastic does to Wildlife, really depends upon its size
and its chemical composition.
Uh, large pieces, of course can choke or entangle animals.
Microplastics are easily consumed or they can do internal
damage uh, cause inflammation and stress responses. And um,
um, the chemicals they release inside of living things can
have all sorts of biological impacts. Some of them are
hormone mimics or improve interfere with reproductive
pathways.
Nanoplastics which can enter individual cells are
especially concerning because they can disrupt interest
cellular processes, like, uh, protein synthesis or DNA
repair.
Uh, ultimately plastic.
litter persists for a long time in the environment, many
generations, it will continue a single item will continue
to fragment into more smaller pieces and circulate through
the environment for potentially hundreds of years.
So education is important and reusable bottles, reusable
bags and reducing smoking have had some impact on the
issue, but ultimately they only go so far without policy
support.
Many of the Plastics uh polluting our rivers lakes and
Beaches come from common everyday single-use items. We've
picked up thousands of these
Preventing them at the source is the single most effective
solution. So we advocate for policies to reduce or restrict
single-use Plastics. We can't really clean or recycle our
way out of the problem. We need to turn off the source
through smart regulations that reflect the long-term costs
of plastic pollution that impacts our health, our
ecosystems, and our communities.
So thank you very much for your your time and commitment to
the issue.
All right, I just want to thank the committee for having
this hearing super excited uh for everyone who's here, as
well as all the folks in public comment. So Dr. Prince and
I are going to give this presentation together so we'll go
a little bit back and forth. Um we're coming to you from
the Chicago Center for Health and environment in the
University of Illinois, Chicago.
so,
it's the slides work.
Next slide, I guess. You don't need to point at the screen.
Good for you. Okay, there we go. All right, let's see if
you want to introduce yourself. Okay. Um hi. I'm Gail
Prince. I'm a resident of the 43rd Ward. Ugh, in the city
of Chicago. Um, currently, I'm the Michael Reese,
distinguished Professor, um, in the Departments of Urology,
pathology and Physiology at UIC. And uh, I don't need to
read all this, but I am the co-director of
Chicago Center for Health and environment, which is the
center funded by the NIH uh study these processes. And I'm
also director of a Clinical andrology Laboratory, um, that
that oversees, uh, Diagnostics and interventions for male
reproduction. So that's my area of specialty. Yeah. Um, I'm
Rob SAR, just so a proud CPS grad. I'm now in a, a tenured
associate professor at the University of Illinois in the
Departments of medicine and uh pathology, I'm a research
lab that focuses on understanding the contribution of
environmental pollutants to the development of metabolic
diseases. And I also, uh, see patients,
Um, so we've been tasked to discuss the health effects of
plastics, and we've decided to break these down into,
basically, 3, different categories that have been alluded
to before. So these include the chemicals that are in
Plastics, Nano and microplastics and then an area that
we're not going to spend a ton of time talking about, and
that is the impact of climate change on human health.
Knowing that these Plastics are derived from fossil fuels
that are drive driving the climate crisis
So let's talk about chemicals in Plastics. So um, these
chemicals and Plastics have been associated with a variety
of diseases, I studied diets and we know that some of these
chemicals including bisphenols and phthalates are
associated with marketed risks of diabetes with some folks
who are highly exposed having 2-fold higher risk of
diabetes, compared to those who have the lowest exposure.
Uh, in addition, these same chemicals are associated with
other diseases that are highly prevalent in society
including things like a
Obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and other
disorders as well.
okay, so um I with regards to reproductive health, I want
uh just mention that there's very strong evidence for the
role of plastic chemicals in a variety of reproductive
diseases, infertility decreased testosterone and estrogen
levels, reduce quality of eggs. Decrease sperm count and
quality hypospadias which is an abnormal development of the
penis. Erectile dysfunction fibroids increase, incidence of
fibroids and endometriosis early, ovarian failure, and
early puberty. So these are a variety of the chemicals that
Dr. Sargious just mentioned on his previous slide and
they're released in our body when microplastics and
nanoplastics embed in our systems. And so we, now know,
from studies that are coming out that these microplastics
are embedded in all of our organs, including our
reproductive organs. So, they have been found in the
uterus. They
Been found in the testes and in the penis. They're in Seal
plasma. Um, they're in the ovary, etc, etc. And when
they're there, they're slowly releasing these chemicals
into our system and doing the adverse effects that we see
in our reproductive cells in tissues.
I think what is additionally important about this? Is this
relates to a variety of things that have significant
geopolitical questions. So this relates to the fertility
crisis, which is um been raised as an important point of
political stability, not only in the United States but sort
of around the world.
Um,
So say um Plastics are strongly linked to cancers in
variety of cancers and the chemicals from these Plastics
have been linked. Um my personal research is on prostate
cancer and I published a lot showing the linkage between a
variety of these chemicals including the forever chemicals.
Um, but um, here we have a list and I can't see it. Um,
even though I made the slide um for lung cancer, breast
ovarian cancer, cervical, cancer, leukemia prostate cancer,
cancer, um, GI carcinoma liver cancer, um, Etc. So and
brain cancers as well. And so a lot of cancers are being
linked to the increased levels of these chemicals in our
bodies.
in addition, uh, many of these chemicals that are used in
Plastics are also either known or suspected neurotoxic, uh,
plastic particles and chemical additives are associated
with neurodevelopmental disorders. Including
Behavior.
depression,
recognize is that these Plastics are also potential drivers
of Health disparities
shown is that low-income and communities of color have
levels of various plastic Associated chemicals, that are
linked to common diseases associated with significant
suffering. In those communities, Plastics are indeed both
an environmental and health justice issue.
So this demands action. And as we look across the spectrum
of diseases associated with the development of uh, with
plastics, what's important to recognize is that these
Plastics are associated with Myriad diseases. Raising the
question of if we just address the plastic pollution, could
could we decrease the burden of disease across, uh, various
different states? That could contribute significantly to
morbidity and mortality?
And the costs associated with those diseases as well. Um
and this is not to say that Plastics aren't important, our
ability to use Plastics in medicine have saved countless
lives. But what's important to recognize is as we
understand the diseases, associated with exposure to these
chemicals. We definitely need to be more cognizant of the
adverse effects and more and we need to advocate for more
judicious use of Plastics in our lives.
So, thank you very much for your attention.
Thank you so much. Thank you so much doc. Uh, Dr. Sarris
and Dr. Prince and I appreciate the uh, incorporation of
our public commenters, uh insights. Um, uh, so we're going
to turn this over to Dr. Jones who will be speaking to the
toxicology of plastics and the impact on the human body.
Uh, Dr. Jones is joining us virtually, Dr. Jones. Uh, are
you uh with us? Yes, I'm here. Fantastic. Um, we're turning
over to you. Thank you. Thank you. Um, for this invitation
also to speak. Um some of the material I had planned to
planned to mention, you've already heard, but I I don't
think it can be mentioned enough. So some of this may be
repetitive. So, first of all, my name is Shannon Jones. I
a biology professor at the University of Richmond, uh, in
my area of expertise is in toxicology specifically, the
toxicology of air pollutants, both indoor and outdoor air
pollutants. And um, in addition to investigating the
cellular and molecular effects of air pollution, I also
investigate instances of environmental Injustice
So, my students and I have visited several fence line
communities across the country, uh, including cancer alley
in Louisiana, and, um, some communities in Puerto Rico.
and through these visits and learning more about the
Plastics issue in Chicago, I can draw some similar
parallels between, uh, EJ communities that I visited, uh,
and in the Plastics problem in the city of Chicago, and
some might think of plastics pollution is separate, uh,
from air pollution and environmental justice, but I would
disagree. Uh, and I just want to point out that significant
amounts of air pollution in particular matter are produced
during the entire life cycle of plastics. And so, as you've
already heard and as everyone knows in order to produce
Plastics, of course we have to extract refund and transport
fossil fossil fuels, and then the entire process
significant amounts of air pollution are produced. And I'll
just mention a few of those critical air, pollutant
components, uh, they include what we refer to, as volatile
organic compounds. These are materials that are easy to, to
vaporize into the air. Uh, they're the, you know, 1 of the
biggest concerns is a production of particulate matter.
They come in a variety of sizes and in particular, um, my
research,
Students investigate a particulate matter 2.5. And those
are the very small, um, components of particular matter
when we think of what we see in the air is air pollution.
Um, it's it's the parts that we don't see that are really
small particles and pm2.5 is of of great interest and
concern, because because of the small size they can,
Can penetrate deep down into the tissues of our lungs into
the avioli and cause significant inflammatory actions in
our tissues. And those inflammatory reactions can go on to
have, uh, impacts on our other organ systems as well, not
just our pulmonary or or system or lungs, but our also our
cardiovascular system as well. And so we have the concern
of of how much PM 2.5 is generated during Plastics
production. Uh in addition to particularly matter of the
chemicals like acryline or FIB, these these gases are these
small molecules are released during the manufacturing
process and we know that from Aldi and acryline or
carcinogens along with ethylene oxide which is also
produced uh can be produced during Plastics production
again all these compounds acrolein from Aldi ethylene
oxide. They're all known human carcinogens and that they
can um interact with DNA in such a way to increase our risk
for cancer.
And and so we think about again the life cycle of, of
plastics thinking about the pollution that's produced from
manufacturing. But also the pollution that's produced and
how Plastics are disposed of. As you've already heard very
little plastic gets recycled and so that leads Plastics
filling our landfills and they also end up in our
incinerators. Uh, and so when plastic decays again there's
contribution to air pollution there as well. So as you've
already heard microplastics and nanoplastics are produced
during the Decay or breakdown of of plastics. So in
addition to again, contributing to climate change to the
release of greenhouse gases, like methane and carbon
dioxide. We also
Have other chemicals that get released uh like bisphenol a
fine. Uh, dioxins. All of these we refer to as forever
chemicals or persistent organic pollutants. So not only are
they going to uh,
Exist in our environment for a long time because they
resist degradation. They're going to hang around in uh, in
in living systems for a long time. They often end up in
adipose tissue uh and so there we we have to think about
the long-term effects of being exposed to these chemicals
when Plastics break down
when we when we think about incinerating Plastics again a
a lot of the air pollution that's attributed to plastic
production is going to be released when they are
incinerated again producing. So even heavy metals get
produced uh, when Plastics are burned. Uh and again
sometimes pcbs or polychlorinated by funnels are produced
again, these forever chemicals ending up in our soil and
our air and our water, which can contribute to long-term,
um, health effects. And so, I just wanted to point out,
sort of, as a, of a, a list of cellular and molecular
effects, if you will, of air pollution exposure, um, from
air pollution generated by Plastics. And so what my
research lab studies, we we study the process of oxidative
stress, or basically aging of our cells and tissues that
are caused by air pollution. And so, pollution produced by
Plastics is a great contributor to oxidative stress in our
cells. Uh, and that oxidative stress can damage our
proteins, it can damage our
DNA, uh, and that indirect or direct damage to our DNA can
increase 1's risk for cancer.
The oxidative stress can also trigger robust inflammatory
responses in our cells and our tissues. And so when you
have these ongoing inflammatory reactions, uh, that can
actually weaken our response to an actual infection, and so
you might have increased susceptibility to infections, uh,
caused by this prolonged inflammatory response. And on the
flip side, sort of you can have exacerbation of existing
conditions. So if your cells are undergoing inflammatory
reactions that can exacerbate asthma or allergic diseases
and we already know that the instance of all Allergic
Disease and Asthma is on the rise. So pollution produced by
uh Plastics and specifically air pollution can make those
conditions worse. Uh, and then we also have to think about
the exacerbation of existing lung disease heart disease.
Again, oxidative stress produce by air pollution exposure
can trigger, um, clotting events that can increase risk for
stroke and other cardiovascular events,
Uh, like my call in faction. And then also recent Studies
have shown that air pollution generated from Plastics can
also alter our gut microbiome. So you could have potential
health and behavioral effects from that alteration of our
gut microbiome. And lastly, I just want to reiterate the
fact that pollution exposure actually begins in utero and
it, it, it will continue throughout 1's Lifetime. And so,
we have to consider the cumulative impacts, when we think
about Plastics, pollution, and air pollution, and we also
cannot ignore, um, that there's going to be this
disproportionate effect on communities, that that are
already vulnerable and already at risk. Um, and and that's
all I have. Thank you.
Thank you so much, Dr. Jones and thank you for joining us
today and sharing that important information, um, for
committee members for the Environmental Protection
committee. Some of this, uh, may be a good refresher from
our last hearing on air quality monitoring that the city
does. Um, so thank you. Dr. Jones. Um, we're going to turn
it over to uh Christina seberg who's going to provide
background in an overview on the work of the Statewide
recycling needs assessment advisory Council. Um and yeah,
thank you. Thank you chair. Uh, and thank you all for being
here today and giving me the opportunity to speak. My name
is Christina seberg. I am the executive director of the
solid waste agency of Northern Cook County
County which is a multi. Uh, I'm sorry a municipal joint
Action Agency. That represents 23 member communities across
Northern Cook County, where a unit of government. Um, I
also chair the um Statewide recycling needs assessment
advisory Council, which I will talk more about shortly and
that's the role that I'm largely in here today. Um, through
Swank, we have the opportunity to be, uh, leaders and
supporters for various legislative initiatives to reduce
our waste, and ensure the responsible and cost-effective
management of materials, uh, through their life cycle. And
we've been, um, leaders on electronics and pharmaceuticals
and batteries legislation that will keep those materials
out of landfills and recycle them. And a few years ago, we
had the opportunity to be a part of a team with the city of
Chicago, um, as a another member, uh, to develop
legislation for packaging, that would have been extended,
producer, responsibility, um, policy, um, through extended
producer responsibility, the, uh, manufacturers or the
producers are made
Uh, responsible for the funding and the management of the
materials that they produce with the incentive, to rethink
the design of their products. And to make those products,
more recyclable, more easily recoverable or, to reduce the
amount of material that goes into making them. Um,
single-use Plastics, are part of that packaging stream. We
include packaging food where um or plastic food wear as
part of the um, packaging definition. And we know that
Plastics are ubiquitous. We see them in a lot of forms
across all of the consumer uses, uh, and consumers have a
very hard time. Knowing what is recyclable, what is not and
how best to manage their material. We know that there are
some bottles and tubs that we can easily recycle and put
them in our curb carts. We know that we can take some film
Plastics and bags to retail drop offs and they can be made
into things like park benches, that doesn't get them out of
the stream, it does down cycle them, um, and then there's
others that just have no viable.
Recycling or Reclamation options that are available now as
local governments, we end up being responsible for the cost
to manage those and our residents, all these consumers, the
the public um suffers those health effects.
For the city of Chicago it would have meant a 30 million
dollar cost decrease at minimum. If we were able to pass
the law, we didn't pass it, but we did take the opportunity
to, uh, pivot the legislation in 2023 to
A needs assessment Focus. Um,
Packaging epr wasn't A New Concept, there's been um
programs like this in Europe and in Canadian provinces for
30 years and they've been successful at reducing the
stream. Um, reducing the excess packaging that goes into
our different products. Um, and we've already seen 7 States
now in the US who have passed similar legislation, it
started with Maine and Oregon, it passed to California, and
Colorado. And um last year and this year, Minnesota,
Maryland and Washington have all passed these laws. So this
isn't a novel concept for us, but we had a lot of
opposition to the bill. Um, raising questions about what it
meant for Illinois, what was it going to cost? How much
material are we really talking about managing? Was it going
to be effective at, moving the needle on producers changing
the design of their products um with the needs assessment
component, which was part of the law originally? Um, we
felt that we were going to get answers to a lot of these
questions. Um, and I come from a background in Consulting
doing sell waist planning, and Market development, research
and facility development for
20 years that, um, really relies on data driven, um,
pragmatic policy development. So we want to see policy that
it's achievable. We want to see it, um, be something that
we can have success with. Uh, we also know that we can't
bite off the whole Apple at once. Um, so we passed uh the
Statewide recycling needs assessment in 2023. It requires
that the ieepa will select a consultant to conduct the
study. Um, it will be comprehensive. It will look at
packaging materials by their different types. Not just
Plastics but extending into the other materials um,
cardboard and metals and glass and, um, really assess what
the quantities are that are being generated and sold, how
much of that is being uh, managed through recycling or
other diversion methods. Now, how much could possibly be
recyclable or is it actually recyclable at all? And uh what
it would cost to develop the infrastructure needed to
achieve recycling rates at 3, different levels where we're
looking at a rate of 35% 50% in 65% to be,
Looking at some low medium and high type of performance um
by 2035 and uh that's going to tell us a lot about what the
producers are asking but how much is this going to cost us
you know at the end of the day they really are going to be
the ones that are footing the bill. But we want them to
feel incentivized into see reason, to shift their behavior,
their choices that they're making. Um, right now the agency
is just getting under contract with their consultant. They
selected them last month, we will have a draft report by,
uh, June
Of next year that, um, will share a lot of information in
this regard.
The other half of the bill is that the ieepa had to appoint
an advisory Council. And that was what I had mentioned
earlier that, I'm the chair of, um, we have 30 members that
represent a diversity of stakeholders, pretty much everyone
across the interest chain. So, local governments recyclers,
producers environmental groups. Um, environmental justice,
um, Advocates and retailers. And we are responsibility is
to research the terms and implementation status of these
types of laws in other states and to come back with a
policy recommendation that we will submit to the general
assembly and the governor by December 1st of 2026. Um, that
policy may or may not include epr legislation. It may
include other elements, um, and there's an opportunity for
a Minority Report because as you can imagine with that,
diversity of stakeholders, the ability to reach, a
unanimous consensus is going to be, um, challenging to say
the least. Um, we are, um, looking at what's happening
right now in other states,
Other states. No 1 has fully implemented or started their
programs. Um they're in planning stages and they all vary
their schedules and their timelines vary. Uh so there's
going to be a lot for us to learn as an advisory Council
over the next year. Is those programs start to um go into
operation, we are meeting quarterly, we will be shift,
stepping those up to uh monthly meetings starting in June,
They are public meetings. Um, we've been hosting all of
them through, um, virtual meetings to bring in. We've got
some stakeholders who are not based in Illinois, but
represent interests that are in Illinois. And, um,
What we've learned so far um and what we see is that the
structures of these different laws are all similar, they
are uh set up to have producers pay with the goal of
reducing waste increasing Recycling and then their program
plan has to say how that's going to happen. Uh they do vary
in what materials are covered. What's expected to be
recyclable all across the state. Um how much Source
reduction or reuse and refill is going to be required. And
um, what targets for recycling, they're going to set. Um,
most of those are pushing the setting of those quantitative
goals to the program plan. And I think that's largely
because of political pressure from producers to uh, answer
those questions, more holistically. So that they're not
doing it, individually state by state and having to battle
what different states have is priorities. But instead,
looking at what it means for their business, these are
National and international global companies. Um, so what
they produce for Illinois isn't
Going to be necessarily different from what they would
produce to sell in Iowa or in Wisconsin or in Indiana
states that we wouldn't expect to see this type of policy.
Develop, um, similarly, what we see, come on into the
market, for products, sold in California or in Minnesota
will trickle back to us, and we will start to see those
benefits. Even before we would be able to pass a law and
implement the program. Um, Oregon is the first state uh,
that has an approved program plan. Um, 1 thing that's
interesting to note is that single-use Plastics have a
higher fee assigned to them than other uh products. And
that's because of the lack of recyclability and the uh,
desire to fee set in a way that will, uh, incentivize a
shift away from those products. So cardboard and aluminum
cans and, um, other metal cans and glass all have lower
fees Associated compared to single-use Plastics. Um,
Wrapping up here. I do expect that we are going to
introduce revamp. Packaging epr legislation in 2027. I hope
that we'll have the support again of the city. Um and in
many of the panelists and other uh members of the public
who are here in the room today. Um, we will be making an
open process to negotiate, um, and with that we'll be able
to have producers take responsibility for reducing and
recycling packaging materials. They put into the consumer's
consumer's hands. It's going to be a meaningful step to
shift the responsibilities Upstream. We also know that it's
not the only solution or a solution that will
single-handedly, solve the single use, Plastics problems
that we're
Here talking about today with that. Thank you. I appreciate
your time.
Thank you so much, Christina.
Next up, we have SEMA keshava needs assessment advisory
Council um who will uh address the issue more holistically
and uh share some potential opportunities, to shift, the
burden away from Individual consumers and small businesses
to producers.
Thank you, um, respected chairwoman Haden, uh, Vice chair
Ramirez and all the people good afternoon. Um firstly I
want to begin with thanking you for having this important
hearing uh, to better understand the detrimental impact
that Plastics is having on human health and the health of
our environment. My name is Sima khov, I am a breast cancer
survivor and while I may not know what caused my disease.
Uh what I am learning is that environmental factors are
playing, may have played a role
um in September of last year, a new study found that 143
chemicals, used in plastic packaging are linked to breast
cancer and dozens of those carcinogens can migrate into the
human body.
I do the work that I do so that our future Generations are
daughters, don't have to go through the pain of a breast
cancer diagnosis and the years of treatment that follow
that,
I'm the founder of go green burning Hills and Lincoln
Trier. Our mission is to develop community-based solutions
to address single-use plastic waste and food waste. I sit
on the steering committee for the Coalition for plastic
reduction. This is a Statewide Coalition of 48, member
organizations that have come together to work on policy
solutions to reduce single-use plastic waste from Illinois.
And in that capacity, I sit on as 1 of the environmental
seats on the Illinois. Statewide recycling needs assessment
advisory Council along with Christina seabird. The council
as Christina said is tasked with assessing how paper and
packaging waste is managed in our state and submitting
policy recommendations to the state legislator on how State
Legislature on how to effectively establish extended
producer, responsibility laws or epr for paper and
packaging.
Now, epr laws, what they do is they shift the cost of
managing this waste away from consumers and cities and back
on to producers, that create the waist.
And while epr is a gold standard for metal glass and paper.
It just may not be that silver bullet for Plastics.
the epr programs that we've seen focus a lot on collecting
and re on collecting and sorting waste and supporting re
and supporting Investments to expand recycling
infrastructure.
Um, now you've heard from a from a lot of people today that
that Plastics recycling will not address the Plastics
crisis. And that's what our concern is to date. Only 9% of
global plastic waste has been recycled and the US plastic
recycling rate is less than 6% and I'm going to spend like
a minute to explain. A lot of people ask people ask the
question. Why is plastic recycling not working? Well
firstly, there are many different types of plastics. There
are many different chemicals, dyes colorants that are used
to make Plastics. And it is virtually.
Impossible to sort and economically unfeasible to recycle
these many different types of plastics. This is according
to a green piece 2022, Greenpeace report. Secondly, unlike
glass and aluminum Plastics are not infinitely recyclable.
So, since Plastics, degrade quickly, most of them are down
cycle, which means they are recycled into a lower quality
product, a few times before they are landfilled. And
finally, I think this is a very important point that I want
to make is that, um, a new study found that Plastics are
made with as many as 16,000 chemicals.
And researchers say that over 4,200 are hazardous to human
health.
So according to the Greenpeace report when Plastics are
recycled they absorb other chemicals resulting in a toxic
cocktail that makes them unfit for food grade, packaging
and other consumer users.
So it leaves us with 2 options, down cycling, the
packaging. Waste into lower value products and dyspo or
disposing of it in landfills or incinerators.
So,
in order for us to address the plastic crisis epr, laws,
should be designed very carefully to require producers to
reduce their single-use packaging plastic, packaging and
eliminate toxic chemicals from their packaging. The issue
is that based on the progress of the states that have epr
laws? It is unclear how the policy will take shape in
Illinois. And Illinois is at least 6 to 7 years from
implementing an epr law.
so, at this point,
The most effective solution to our plastic crisis. Our
policy policy Solutions. Banning worst of the worst
Plastics and encouraging the shift. Back to reuse, local
cities and governments in Illinois can Implement such
policies now to address the plastic crisis, so I want to
give you a few examples. For instance, in 2020, France has
pursued a separate plastic reduction policy. This is in
addition to an existing epr law.
It's plastic reduction law, aims to phase out all
single-use, plastic packaging by 2040. And phases out,
wrapping all fruits and vegetables in Plastics by 2026.
This is a country of over 60 million people.
It also tackles plastic waste in restaurants. Requiring
their restaurants with the capacity of at least 20
customers, provide reusable plates cups, utensils to those
dining in.
Reusables for dining in Berkeley, California Citywide,
reusable food, where program and Hyo Hawaii dishwashing
grants for use reusables at school cafeterias. These are
just some of the few examples of policies and Investments
that are happening in cities across the US.
Chicago has a rich history from the world's first, ferris
wheel to the tallest building in the world for 25 years and
the first major city in the US to elect a female mayor.
Chicago has always stood out as a hub of creativity and
Innovation and this is because of the ambition and courage
of our elected officials.
we know that this is an overwhelming issue, but we need the
same ambition and courage to meaningfully reduce single-use
plastic in our, in our state, in our city, to protect the
health and environment of this beautiful historic City, the
Coalition for plastic reduction, welcomes this welcomes,
the opportunity to work with the city on Solutions. I thank
you for your time and I look forward to answering your
questions.
Thank you so much, SMA, we are going to turn it over to
Bethany who is also online. Bethany, are you with us?
I am. Hello. Okay. So Bethany will speak to what systems
and Flamingo implemented to shift away from single-use
Plastics and the impact of the cost of doing business. So
take it away. Bethany
Thank you so much for having me. Um, I'm Bethany barbuti.
I'm, um, a founder and co-owner of the Eco Flamingo. Um, I
also hold a master's degree in sustainable Food Systems,
um, the Eco Flamingo. We opened it 5 years ago in May of
2020, it's uh a zero waste General store and now also a
cafe.
Um, and we focus on uh circular shopping. Um we implemented
many circular local systems where we not only allow let me
explain step by step. So customers are allowed to bring in
their own containers to our store, we have over 400
refillable items, from soaps to cleaners, to all kinds of
different food items. Um, the majority of your daily
Essentials, you can find in a refillable for format in our
store. Um, we also Implement a circular system on the back
end of our business. So we work with, uh, a large number of
different, local makers, both in um, like bath and body
products and in a lot of food products, um so they bring us
a reusable container filled with their product. We we, then
when it's empty, they bring us another container and we
return the
Empty container back to them. So it's a circular system,
both with our customers and with our suppliers
um, since we started tracking our
Um, the number of refills that we've had in our store since
March of 2021. So a little bit over 4 years ago. Um, since
March of 2021, we have saved 135,900 uh, single-use
containers from going into landfills and waterways. Um, in
2024, it was over 45,000 so far in 2025, we're over 15,000
and Counting. Um, we also don't offer any kind of
single-use disposable packaging. We don't have plastic bags
for people to put their shopping in, um, in our Cafe. We
don't have any sort of disposable cups, um, or disposable
carry out, um, containers other than just plain paper bags.
Um,
What we do offer is for people again to bring in their own
containers, clean and dry containers. Um, we have customers
that come from all over the city to utilize that system.
we have a number of different, you know, jars and things
for sale in the store as well. And in the cafe, we also
have a a rental system, which is called foreverware, so
so people can rent a cup or rent, a, a carry out to go
container for their food. Um, and then when they bring it
back to us, or to any other restaurant or Cafe, that also
implements, the foreverware system, they can return it to
them also and get their money back for.
The rental. So um we've very intentionally decided against
any kind of disposables. Um mainly because there's a lack
of um composting facilities in Chicago. So um we just
decided to
Avoid it altogether and um I would say in in many ways
people come to us because of the model that we offer. Um
however it it definitely it adds a lot to the cost of
business. Um, doing things in a sustainable way, it takes a
lot more time, a lot more energy, um, you know, it costs a
lot more to do to it costs a lot more to the business
itself to do things the right way. But for us, that was our
mission from day 1. So, um, we take it, you know, we we
take it on and and we're happy to do so. Um,
the, you know, so I think competing with convenience is the
biggest, um, factor in terms of small businesses, being
able to implement more sustainable systems, um, you know,
the the convenience of, you know, grabbing and go and
disposable containers. It's it's really hard to beat when
people are in a rush all the time. Um, we like to call our
store coming to our store, we call it slow shopping because
you really do have to slow down. You have to weigh your
containers before you have to fill them. You have to weigh
them again at checkout. Um, it is, it it breaks down the
shopping experience, um, in a very different
Way, um, we have found that there is a lot of positivity now
now to our newly opened Cafe. Um,
you I won't sugarcoat it, we definitely lose business.
the fact that we have
it's it's very much been worth the extra time and money
and, and
feel, is the right way.
um,
so, uh,
I think main ways for the city to to support these things
are, of course, to move forward with legislation that, uh,
prohibits the use of of single-use items by businesses. Um,
as well as continuing to, um, bolster, uh, the, the
composting, um, options that are available in the city. So
that for, um, you know, disposable options that the
company.
Possible option is more effective.
Thank you.
Thank you, Bethany. Uh we are going to turn it over to Kate
Kate who will close us out. Kate is going to discuss on her
business. Necessary, and sufficient coffee has adapted to
more sustainable practices, including the elimination of
single-use plastics.
She will speak to how the business manages to continue to
be financially successful after these changes. Thank you,
Kate.
Thank you. I'm wondering to be here.
I'm the founder of necessary and sufficient coffee, we
opened in 2019, in Logan Square, uh tiny little, walk up,
takeout business,
I've lived in Chicago for 8 years and prior to that. I've
lived all over the country.
In local cultures where sustainability was part of the
culture. So it was a little bit of a culture shock for me
to get here and realize there was no composting and the
recycling is um broken.
We have um, we're at zero waste in both of our locations.
Um, we sell about 125,000 beverages a year between the 2
locations.
The products are commercially compostable that we use and
we partner with uh, local composting company Collective
resources, cooperative
Through their composting program. We have diverted over
45,000 pounds from landfill to healthy reusable soil.
That's 22 and a half tons.
The products that we use are more expensive and in our new
location in Printers Row.
We get complaints from customers about the price of our
products.
They're comparable to other specialty, coffee shops. But
It's still um a shock for some people to pay $7 for a
takeout latte.
Um,
the cost of the goods.
Uh, that drive our business, uh, by percentages.
Uh our little bit more expensive and result in a 65 Cent to
a 1 Dollar upcharge on all the products over, what we would
be using what other restaurants are using, uh, we pay about
14 cents per cup.
Whereas other restaurants, might pay 6 or 7 cents for
theirs. Um, so that's where it gets passed on.
Um, I
I think we are competing for convenience, but we're also.
This is social change and it.
um, it takes all the systems working together to relever
the power and
uh, make it
more obvious for businesses to do the right thing.
I can't fix global warming but I can do more than nothing
And this is the more than nothing that I know how to do.
And so that is why I do this. My employees. Stay with me
for a long time because they believe in those values.
The cost of replacing an employee is $10,000 so that helps
my business be sustainable.
Uh, it would be great if the city offered some sort of
support.
In the form of compost in the form of, um, proper
recycling. So that
Uh, we could continue and more more restaurants would
continue on this path.
Thank you so much. Um, I think that was such a strong way
to end it. We can feel the passion and the emotion, uh,
behind what you do at your business. So I want to thank all
of um our panelists today, we are not. We are now going to
open um, up for questions from Members. We are going to
start off with
Alderman, Martin. And then if anyone else, please show
hands.
Thanks very much cheer. And again, uh, my sincere gratitude
to everybody, um, on our panel who is participating both in
person, as well as virtually. Um, 1 thing. I was hoping
someone might be able to shed light on and I don't know
John or Tim if you're the best ones to start with on this
is understanding um the many contributors to microplastics
and microfibers. We know that at the state level, there's
been work, done around styrofoam bands, last plastic bag
bands, uh washing machine filters to capture more of the
microfibers in particular. Also we've had active
conversations at the city around single-use plastic
utensils, but I think it also begs the question, though,
which are the biggest contributors to microplastics. This
is a very sobering presentation by some of your colleagues
Um, at UIC about the negative Health consequences.
Certainly things that I was aware of at a high level but
not with that level of detail. And so as we're thinking
from a policy standpoint, where we
We should start. Um, you know, should we look at clothes
before anything else? Should we look at higher degradation?
Should we look at bottles uh bags? Which are the biggest
contributors? You would say? If there are policy Solutions
focus on these areas first,
Uh, yeah, I can.
Can is this on? Yeah, I can take that question because
we've measured microplastic in all of our, our waterways
and beaches. Um, and you know, 1 of the conclusions, we've
come to is, there's many sources, so there's many
solutions. Um, but if we're prioritizing a couple of a big
problems I would say synthetic, uh, textiles are really 1
of the major components that we find in our waterways.
These are fibers. Um, they appear as just little, you know,
fragments of of of fabric, but they're made of plastic. We
find polyester. We find acrylic. We find polypropylene, and
polyethylene. And these are coming from, um, our Wastewater
Stream. So as the, uh, the laundry, uh, breaks up the
little textiles, the lint in the washing machine. That'll
enter the wastewater treatment plant. We find a lot of its
diverted, their into the, the bio solids into the sludge in
waste water, but a good proportion comes out in the
treated. Effluent, so wastewater treatment plants are not
designed to capture this kind of material, and there's no
Regulatory Compliance. They have to meet, um, but they are
contributing to the pollution and might be a place to C.
Capture some of it, but certainly Upstream sources at the
washing machine level would be welcome. Also, um, another
major thing we find, um, uh, in terms of our floating micro
Plastics are pieces of Styrofoam so expanded, polystyrene
is a styrofoam and these are generated. We Believe largely
from consumer items. So, these are cups and, um, food
packaging materials that break into small pieces. Also some
shipping materials that are styrofoam
Foam are easily broken into small beads you know when you
see a a big piece of packaging styrofoam it's Loosely
congealed pellets almost and those fall apart pretty easily
in our waterways so that would be a good Target. And then
another 1, that's discreet, is our manufacturing facility.
So we've, we find quite a lot of what we call nerdles or um
uh, you know, pre-production pellets in our beaches in Lake
Lake Michigan water and also in the Chicago River. And so,
these pellets are used in the manufacturing of Plastic
Products, they're the raw materials. Uh, they escape into
the environment when there's when they're shipped when
they're stored and from the facilities themselves, um, they
get everywhere. And this is, especially common in places
like the Gulf Coast where there's a lot of plastic
manufacturing. But it, it happens in the Great Lakes too,
because we have a good deal of plastic. Manufacturing,
these would be relatively discreet Point sources too. Um,
and again, there's no Regulatory Compliance that I know of
that, the plastic manufacturing facilities have to meet. So
if I could summarize, I would say,
Yeah, Wastewater effluent with fibers. Um styrofoam
microplastics from food packaging um and shipping and then
also pre-production pellets.
If that's helpful. Um, and then my 1 other question uh
because I think we've already heard some testimony about
what is being done or could be done with those first 2
items um pieces around uh manufacturing. Um, I putting
aside whether we have whole Authority here at the city to
do anything with that, I'm curious if whether it's this
piece,
Specifically or even more generally if there are cities or
states that seem to be on the Vanguard, I believe. Um uh 1
person on the panel mentioned. Oregon seemed to be further
along than some other states in terms of creating Statewide
uh comprehensive plans. But um, understanding that we're
not always the first out of the gate when it comes to
sustainability, practices and policies are there cities and
states. That for City Council Members, we would do well to
follow their progress.
Sure. You mean specifically to microplastic? Yes, yeah. Uh,
well, microplastic is not really a regulated, pollutant
almost anywhere in the country. The, the, the regulation
that I'm most familiar with is drinking water regulations
in California. So currently there's a, a new drinking water
standard for microplastic in, in the drinking, water,
treatment process in California, they've done years of work
to set up what those thresholds would be to establish,
what's the negative Health consequence for microplastic
concentration, exposure and drinking water. And this is now
coming into, you know, fruition. So uh, it it took many
years, lots of experts to, uh, come up with a methods, the
standards, the thresholds and, um, specific for drinking
water treatment plants, which are a pretty highly regulated
already. Um, so I think that'd be a good place to start.
Thank you.
Thank you, Alderman, Martin. And next we have alderman
laspada.
Thank you very much 2, very capable, Vice chairs in front
of us, makes me very very happy to see. Um,
I'm really grateful for.
The conversation today, I'm really grateful for all of our
esteemed panelists.
I, I feel like there's a part of me that needs to know.
uh, an absence
That the department of streets and sanitation the
Department of Public Health, the department of the
environment. Is there a reason why they're not with us
today?
Uh, they were invited. We wanted to. We have
Um 3 great medical experts. And so we wanted to avoid some
redundancy. And then we also wanted to shift the
conversation away from um,
Being dependent on recycling only. So the department of
streets and sanitation. Uh, commissioner Stallard does sit
on the Statewide Advisory Board, um, but we were wanted to
shift the
Conversation away from the city's recycling to how we could
more holistically address the issue. So we did speak with
him about that. Um,
Ultimate Martin, I saw a hand go up.
If I could add 2, I I appreciate the question part of it
is we were working with members of the coalition to get a,
a, a, a, a more informed. And detailed sense, is to the
of the challenge that we're facing and all the areas that
that it comes up in, because I think many people myself
included weren't necessarily aware of all the negative
impacts that microplastics can have, um, on on people's
bodies and so understanding that we don't want to and
shouldn't have a day long here to start with a real
in-depth, presentation of the many problems associated with
single-use plastic pollution. Um, of course, we're talking
about, uh, some of the next steps. But hopefully, the next
steps that we take after today are informed by the great
presentation and that is great. And I was only
I wanted to check how much of it was by intention.
Good, not always the case and that's all I'll say about
that. Um, I did want to ask about the, there was a
presentation, there was a slide up that looked at highest
exposure among infants, is it possible to put that slide
back up?
Because it was profoundly disconcerting as someone with a
relatively young child and like dreams of bringing a second
1 into the world. Uh,
What? What is the reasoning for this? What, what is the
hypothesis? Why we see such a high concentration in our
youngest children.
Yeah, I mean that that's an absolutely great question and
and is deeply concerning as you as you state um kids are
exposed to a ton of plastics. So um, not only the Plastics
that we use to care for them, water bottles, uh, the baby
bottles, the the infant formula, uh, contains Plastics, um,
all all of those things are, are part of the deal. And we
now know, too that there are microplastics in in breast
milk as well. So, some of this is just exposure that there
are continuously getting if they, um, have a visit in the
neonate neonatal Intensive Care Unit as part of their uh,
birth process. Um, they're exposed to 2 tons of different,
uh, plastic and plastic Associated chemicals. So a lot of
this is how we care for our kids. The synthetic chemical or
the synthetic uh Fabrics that we're using the swaddle them.
In all of those things are would be things that I would say
contribute to this.
It's helpful information. Um,
appreciate that. I I have 1.
Do the chair question. I was wondering if we could ask the
D dwm through the chair. Whether we currently
Have standards for the levels of microplastics that are
acceptable in our drinking water.
Okay, cool. Um,
2, final thoughts.
In 2023.
Oak Park. Illinois, our, our neighbor directly to the West
became the first city in Illinois to ban polystyrene
products. Perhaps it's time for there to be a second.
Hopefully that's a conversation that we continue to have in
city council because I love hearing what the state is
doing.
But I feel like State action, never absolves the city from
action and so we need to figure out what we're all doing.
Uh and also I feel like we can't have this conversation
without
Calling our own behaviors into action.
Right behind us here folks if you're in the annex and you
want to have a cup of coffee and I, I feel like every cup
of coffee is any necessary and never sufficient. Um, but
the only way that you can get that cup unless you bring
your own mug,
Is a plastic cup that comes wrapped in an individual
plastic bag.
Come on.
we got to figure out how to how to model, what we
You know, you said it's her when you know better, you do
better.
We got to figure out how to do better ourselves and we are
going to figure it out. Thank you. Thank you, Vice chairs.
So, Daniel is mugs for all. So I'm expecting a mug on my
desk.
But thank you so much for bringing up that great Point. Um,
the changes that we can also do, um, right here in city
council. So seeing no more questions. Is that right? Oh,
So I'm going to pass it over to Alderman koala, thank you,
madam chair. Um, I also want to welcome necessary and
sufficient for being here. Um, the owner rather, uh, it's a
very great coffee shop in the 35th Ward on. I used to get
my matcha iced tea from there um so it's good to see you
all and it's good to learn about your practices. Thank you
very much for your contribution to our city um in line with
the same question about um you know getting some
information about the Department of Water Management and
the capacity to do uh, microplastic monitoring, is this
something that we could also maybe push the Department of
Public Health to do something public campaigning around?
Just generally the education and public education around,
you know, you, uh, you know, reducing the use of, uh,
single use Plastics. Um, as an individual, I think we need
to be, you know, providing that information through FAQs or
through, um, you know.
Even just public it uh, you know, in informative
information, you know, in our public transportation system,
at our clinics, whatever it may be. Um, is that something
that we could coordinate with the Department of Public
Health and recommend that they draft up some some ideas for
that?
I'm seeing some nods. Okay cool, thank you. Um,
Yeah, and I did have a question about, you know, um,
microplastic monitoring for public drinking. Water would be
great to learn about that. Um,
And uh 1 of the uh people testifying mentioned that uh
there was some of that monitoring taking place in
California. Was there a specific City or was that the state
of California as a whole is this the state level? Okay?
Thank you. Um I think I'm good for now. A lot of my other
questions have been asked. Thank you very much.
Hey, go ahead, older person. I'm going to hop in with
Thank you, cheer. I just wanted to thank all The Advocates
who spoke up today in public comments, and everyone in the
box and, um, to let you know that the 48th Ward, um, is
very excited to work with those who want to reduce Plastics
in our environment, in our
Neighborhoods and our businesses. I I am shamed by Alderman
muzo spotted out. No no no, no. But it but it is true like
it's convenient to just grab, you know, whatever's there
and the and the annex for coffee but we have to change
change behaviors together and I think that's really what
I'm hearing today. Is that, uh, there are many different
problems. There are many different solutions. And, um, and
I appreciate, uh, Alderman Martin's question of like,
what's the biggest thing that we could tackle? You know, is
there a priority list? Because I would like that and at the
same time, you know, working with our Chambers and and also
also The Advocates here, um, and and in the neighborhood,
like what is, what kind of pilot programs can we start in
our own neighborhoods to reduce the plastic use, um, and to
encourage our neighbors to, to do the same. Um, so I I look
forward to more conversations on this. And I just wanted to
thank everyone who who joined us at the hearing today.
Thank you. Cheers.
Oh please, if you want to make a comment. So 1 of the
things that, uh, organizing for plastic Alternatives has
doing, has been meeting with local Chambers and the
chambers, I think are really on board and they want to see
some change, but it's also really hard for the chambers to
work with restaurants. Um, and so, um,
And in the audience uh gathered a crew of folks who are
sewing reusable bags, cloth bags. Instead of the plastic
bags for farmers markets and we're going to there, they are
and we're going to be giving those out.
At the Andersonville uh Farmers Market um coming up so I
think there are some definitely some local iterations that
help the educate. Um but also begin to move the needle on
some of these things as well.
Yeah.
Something to press please. Yes. So, 1 of the laws that
recently passed in the state of Illinois, allows consumers
to bring their own containers at food establishments.
And uh, you know, we we definitely would love if the city
could could help with the education of that law to
restaurants. And to Consumers, I think that would make a
huge difference. We in Vernon Hills, our go green group has
started to do some work on that, but it would be wonderful
to see the city take that on because once Chicago takes
something on the rest of us, you know, it helps the rest of
our communities as well.
Thank you. Thank you guys so much for sharing that um and
you know just as a representative of the southwest side, I
think it is encouraging to maybe you know, do some Outreach
and these specific areas neighborhoods Wards so no I
welcome, um, a lot of The Advocates, um, out here today, if
they want to reach out to my word specifically, and I know
a lot of, uh, my other colleagues would like the same, um,
so seeing no more questions. Um,
That concludes the items before the committee today. Um, The
Joint Committee will sound out any answers to questions
that were not answered during today's meeting through the
chair.
I would like to take another moment to thank all of our
panelists. Our guests for joining us today, providing this
invaluable insight into the impacts of single-use plaque
Plastics on our environment and health as well as providing
tangible solutions that the body can explore. So thank you
all very much.
All right, with there being no further business before the
committee, may we have a motion to adjourn older person
Martin, so moves all those in favor say I
all those opposed say, nay
Hearing no objection. So ordered the meeting of the joint
committee on Environmental, Protection and energy, and
health, and human relations Is Now adjourned. Thank you,
everyone. So much for coming.