Food Service Packaging Requirements

Current Requirements

The City of Seattle requires all food service businesses to find recyclable or compostable packaging and serviceware alternatives to all disposable food service items such as containers, cups, straws, utensils, and other products. This applies to all food service businesses, including restaurants, grocery stores, delis, coffee shops, food trucks, and institutional cafeterias.

In addition, businesses with customer disposal stations where customers discard single-use packaging must provide options to collect recyclable and compostable packaging in clearly labeled bins and these businesses must sign up for composting and recycling service offered by a collection service provider.

New Washington State 'upon request' serviceware law:

Effective January 1, 2022 customers will have to verbally confirm that they want single-use items, or they must select items from self-service bins instead of having them automatically included with a food order. Single-use food and drink items included in this new law include plastic utensils, straws, condiment packages, and cup lids for cold beverages. 

For more information visit www.ecy.wa.gov/serviceware

 

Flyers, Posters, and More for Your Business

 

What Should My Food Service Business Do?

Rain City Burgers photo

  • Stop using EPS foam food service products immediately.
  • Stop using plastic straws and plastic utensils. This was effective July 1, 2018.
  • Use approved compostable food service packaging or recyclable packaging.
  • Use approved compostable straws and utensils. This was effective July 1, 2018.
  • Provide recycle and compost bins for customer to use in dining areas.
  • Provide recycle and compost bins for staff to use in kitchen and facility areas.
  • Sign up for recycling and composting collection services.

 

Banned Items

The foam ban, which bans expanded polystyrene (EPS, sometimes called "foam blocks"), took effect January 1, 2009. The ban on non-recyclable and/or non-compostable disposable food packaging and service ware took effect July 1, 2010.

The straws & utensils ban, which bans plastic straws, spoons, forks, and knives was effective July 1, 2018. Food service businesses must use compostable straws and compostable utensils. For more information about these items, see Director's Rule SW-500.1.

 

Current Exemptions to the Requirements

A temporary exemption is reviewed each year and was provided for a period of one year beginning July 1, 2018 and ending June 30, 2019; therefore, the requirement that all single-use food-service ware be either compostable or recyclable shall not apply to:

  • Disposable long-handled thick plastic soda spoons when required and used for thick drinks and identified as non-compostable by the food-service business to its customers.
  • Disposable flexible plastic drinking straws when needed by customers due to medical or physical conditions and for whom flexible compostable paper straws are unsuitable. Otherwise, straws must be compostable or designed to be reusable.
  • Metal foil, metal foil-faced papers and engineered composite papers used to wrap hot food such as hamburgers and burritos.
  • Portion cups (two ounces and under), if used for hot foods or requiring lids and identified as non-compostable by the food-service business to its customers.

 

Where to Find Compostable and Recyclable Products

You will find compostable or recyclable alternatives wherever you buy food service products. Compostable products must be approved compostable by the City of Seattle. View approved product listings and request info about product testing via the City’s compost processors, Cedar Grove Composting and Lenz Composting.

Caution: A large number of products advertised as “biodegradable” do not compost in the Seattle system. Because the intent of the City’s program is to minimize landfilling, products designed to be “biodegradable” in a landfill are not acceptable in Seattle. Be sure the products you buy are approved compostable.

 

Enforcement

It is illegal in the City of Seattle for any restaurant, café, grocery store, coffee shop, cafeteria or other food service business to sell or provide food, for consumption on or off premises, in expanded polystyrene (EPS “Styrofoam”) containers. Any person or business violating the ban on Styrofoam containers is subject to a civil penalty of up to $250 for each violation. Food service packaging and serviceware must be recyclable or compostable in Seattle.

Report businesses still using EPS foam containers to the Green Business Program at (206) 343-8505 or greenbusiness@seattle.gov.

 

Additional Resources

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Related links

Green Your Business with EnviroStars
Cedar Grove Composting Approved Products
Lenz Composting Approved Products
Ordinance 122751 - Food Packaging Disposables Ban (EPS Ban too)
Ordinance 123307 - Food Packaging Disposables Ban (EPS Ban too)

 

Public Utilities

Andrew Lee, General Manager and CEO
Address: 700 5th Avenue, Suite 4900, Seattle, WA, 98104
Mailing Address: PO Box 34018, Seattle, WA, 98124-5177
Phone: (206) 684-3000
SPUCustomerService@seattle.gov

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Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is comprised of three major direct-service providing utilities: the Water Utility, the Drainage and Wastewater Utility, and the Solid Waste Utility.