“We are not asking for radical change…we are asking you to build on steps that Culver City took years ago. You understand the power of local ordinances; they shape our future.” Sandrine Cassidy of the Ballona Creek Renaissance spoke from the podium, urging the council to vote on banning specific single use plastics.
The City Council meeting of October 13, 2025 concluded the years-long process of banning multiple types of single use plastic items – single use plastic bags, single use plastic bottles, balloons and cigarette butts, and adding in the consideration of astroturf.
The city of Los Angeles was the first to adopt a ban on single use plastic bags in 2012, which helped Culver City put one in place in 2013. It was the pandemic that put plastic back into regular use, with bags being designated as ‘multi-use’ and made of thicker plastic.
After considering multiple options, council voted to ban the sale and distribution of all plastic carry-out bags citywide, allowing for the continued use of existing bags. Businesses are granted an 18-months to come into compliance. Vote was three to two, with Mayor Dan O’Brien and Council member Albert Vera, Jr. voting no.
Balloons, which often fly under the radar on lists of plastic waste, do create long term environmental problems. The vote passed to ban the use of balloons in public spaces, included banning the release of balloons, and banning the use of fill that is lighter than oxygen, (typically helium) requiring additional weights. Businesses that sell balloons will receive support from the Economic Development team to assist with transition.
The vote on single-use beverage bottles was unanimous, but the ordinance is far from a complete ban. The law is now to expand the current waste reduction rules to ban any single-use plastic beverage bottles from use or distribution in city facilities or city-sponsored events.
Initially brought to the council in April 0f 2024, the idea of banning cigarette butts extended into a discussion of prohibiting outdoor smoking, and banning the sales of tobacco. The council voted to keep cigarette butts out of the waste stream with a ban on outdoor smoking outside of specific smoking zones.
The proposed ban on Astroturf was returned to the subcommittee for further consideration.
Vice Mayor Freddy Puza noted “I want to challenge the myth that you can’t be business-friendly and environmentally conscious. Everyone learns to adapt. I think we are coming to a reasonable space.”
Surveys conducted by the city in regard to the single use plastic prohibitions drew responses from 905 residents and 163 businesses. Six meetings of the sustainability subcommittee and two town hall meetings also gleaned more information.
There is also a time frame for businesses to come into compliance, and hardship exemptions available.
Judith Martin-Straw
