How we might uh ease of limitation for everybody. Thank you. Thank you very much. Commissioners questions . I have one quick question. What about when you go to a coffee shop and you get a cup and its already a biodegradable cup. Are you still want to be charged for biodegradable replacement cup . A lot of that stuff we are have ordinances in place. This is my concern. You know, styrofoam is banned in this town. The stuff you are getting already is biodegradable. Im trying to figure out what i am missing here. Right. I think some of this, and i think anybody in the coalition of advocates who are supporting the transition to reusables, even from compostables right now, will admit, you know, i think it was a little bit shortsighted to think because it is compostable means it is being composted. In fact, a lot of this waste, same with recyclables, is not. We want to diverted from landfill. Unfortunately, even if single use items are technically compostable or recyclable, a lot of them are ending up in the landfill still. This is the option to really switch to a truly reusable model and make sure we are not sending anything to the landfill. Particularly if youre already dining on site before Busing Service, that should not be happening. Commissioner laguana . Thank you, and thank you for the leadership on this issue. I cant speak for the other commissioners, but speaking for myself yeah, move closer . Uh there is a lot here to digest we are certainly, im sure, all theyre interested in. There is a lot of things to consider like inputs and outputs on this. Uh one question that came up for me looking through this, there are several uh references to a waiver process. Can you walk me through without waiver process what you intended to look like . Right, so, the idea is that you would be able to petition the director of the department of the environment for a waiver of for instance the onsite dining reusable food where requirement. This is something that, if youre a business that operationally uses thousands of non reusable containers every day, i dont know their exact numbers. Youre going to be challenged to set up a dishwashing facility and actually provide that Busing Service if people are not self busing. You know, you are facing challenges with the of limitation. You might be able to apply to the director of the department for a full or partial waiver of that requirement. The partial waiver might, you know, that could be the percentage of reusables, or not. Or, the time that, you know, youre allowed to bring operation in compliance. I think one of the key ways we want to amend this ordinance as is make that waiver more clear. Who it is designed to apply to, how do we recognize the difference between existing businesses that do not have have reusable capacity and perspective businesses that might be able to actually implement that buildout is part of their opening process. How do we confine, or give contour, to what that waiver looks like . As we just did with the easy charging station ordinance. We allow the department, the director of the department of environment to have that would then be transmitted to the board of supervisors for review. The board of supervisors could give that a thumbs up or thumbs down by ordinance which provide an additional level of transparency before the end limitation date. You know, we have that clarity up and ready to go before businesses are bumping up against a compliance deadline. I guess my question is more about the actual waiver process itself. Are they just going online and filling out a form . Is our paper . Is there inspections . Is there an appeal . Walk me through the actual sure. Honestly, the department of the environment might have a better sense of how that applies. I think it is different for different requirements. First entry way, you can appeal that determination. There are certain exemptions laid out in the ordinance. If you are denied, you can appeal that to the access appeals board. This presumably would be something similar. You can fill out a form online, i think what we want to see, as a policymaker imperative is some demonstrated burden that you have costed it out. Whatever reason this cost is, you know, it is too much for you, it is not accessible for you. I do think it would be Something Like a form that you would fill out, and adaptation that you try to make this work and you cant for whatever reason. We could be a little more explicit about those exemptions, or those certain considerations. Then it would be up to the director of the department of the environment to give a thumbsup or thumbs down. Whether that is appealable to the board of appeals is a matter of charter authority. Im not 100 certain. Thank you. Commissioner yee riley . Thank you for the presentation. I do have a question with a b619. It requires the restaurant to isolate the customers container from the serving surface. How does that work . So, a b619, as i understand add foz will not part was to give guidance to restaurants on how they can accept containers that folks are bringing in on their own. Previously that has not been allowed under state law. This is an evolving piece of state law that says actually, we see the environmental imperative, we are going to allow people to bring their own containers in. These are the rules that you will to follow. Ab 619, as i understand it, and somebody will stand up and yell and scream if i am wrong, a relaxation of Public Health and safety laws to allow people to bring their own containers and give guidance to food vendors with their obligation is relative to bring you back into a food prep area, or how they are obligated to serve in that container. Our San Francisco department of Public Health has promulgated guidance along these lines relative to beverage cups. If you bring your own beverage cup, to a coffee store, to have your cup filled up to ask you to remove the lid first. They will not touch that is a crosscontamination concern. Part of regulation and guidance that the department of Public Health has provided. Ive been in some communication with the department of Public Health about promulgating additional guidelines for people to bring in their own containers that should be forthcoming in the wake of ab 649. I remember growing up we used to bring our own container, and then we were older food to deliver, they would deliver in reusable dishes and then they would come back and pick it up. Times are different now. You cannot do that anymore. I try to wash some of the containers i have gotten from to go food, you are not allowed to take it back. I dont know. We probably need more detailed instruction and guidelines for the business owners. What you do. The container provided by the consumer is clean enough for you to touch it if you live and go touch Something Else. I think we need more guidance on that. I would agree with you. The reason we put the uh implementation date of the container piece a few years out is to allow for some of that to take place. Youre right, it is often cultural norms. It is a generational thing. There was a time before where we werent throwing away single use everything. I understand india is a country that has a fairly robust reusable container system. Those containers are largely, you know, standardized across businesses. It might not be the norm here today, but this points to a point where it is the norm. The norm as something other than drowning our bay and micro plastics. That is the imperative that we are trying to pursue here. Okay. Commissioner zouzounis . Thank you for the presentation. A couple of clarifying questions and comments. For onsite facilities that require self busing stations. Can you define it that would look like if it is a different type of self busing station . Does it require a sink . So, one of the businesses that was a pioneer in the recent disposable conversation, was right near my house, i go there all the time. They have all reusable foodservice aware and accessories there. They dont even have the like a little ceramic cup for salsa. It is otherwise Counter Service pretty go order, you sit down, and your stuff is served. They have three container busing station already there. Its at the front of house. They are technically self busing. To have that busing station. Interestingly, one of the concerns that we have is that people are actually kind of quick to throw away they reusables when the self busing station is front of house. That absentmindedly throwing away technically reusable forks area one of the changes we anticipate making for the ordinance is saying hey, if you are doing reusables maybe you dont need to have that self busing station at the front of house. Maybe you can have that behind, back of house, so people arent inclined to absentmindedly throw away a reasonables. Im not sure if that gets your answer. It is an operationally different thing for each type of food vendor and self busing stations you know, its a little bit peculiar. Am thinking about in both context if someone brings their own tupperware, and they use it. They are expected to take you back home. We are not requiring a business to allow them to clean up before they go home or anything like that . Im not aware of a requirement on the food vendor to allow people to clean their own dishes. I dont think that that exists. Tran21 comment before we talk more, after hearing from the public. I do agree with our president. I do see this as a punitive measure for businesses that have spent five times, you know, increased costs moving from a non compostable for example to compostable. We are complying with the law, and the next year there is another law. I am really not inclined to vote on this until we have a fee mitigation in. We have litter fees that Small Businesses pay. We have pof fees that Small Businesses pay and would require an additional line item on the receipt, which i think is fee related. That is generally where i stand. Echoing commissioners is in his remarks echoing commissioners remarks, most Small Business owners are very timelimited. That is one of the reasons why i was asking about the waiver process both in terms of, you know, i think we all support the end goal. It often seems like the burden is put on Restaurant Owners to get to the end goal. I tend to agree with commissioner zouzounis, i think there needs to be, if you want to get to the end goal you cant be entirely on the backs of the Small Businesses. It is whiplash constantly. Some thought, i think, should be given to that. Absolutely. I encourage you to take a look at the case studies to the businesses that have already converted to this. We dont want to be in a punitive mode with Small Businesses. If anything the subjecting businesses to audits for waste sorting, large ways producers are that is, i would agree a harder stick enforcement measure to ensure compliance with sorting. The reason i came into play in the first place is because we know that compostables are ending up in a landfill anyway. Recyclables are ending up in our landfill anyway. I agree with you, we had this conversation and i put it on the record as well, we should be very clear to the stakeholder community, what costs are associated with bringing yourself into compliance with this ordinance. At the same time we should be very transparent about the cost saving to businesses as well. We can do both of those things before this hits its implementation date. It is incumbent on the city to do so. We will be in the process looking for ways to mitigate fees as well. It is something we talk about all the time in the city. Calling at low hanging fruit rather than being partners with Small Businesses and food vendors. Just a few weeks ago, that is something that was a recurring theme. We will be continuing to look at those opportunities in the context of this ordinance and the course of an limitation to make sure that, you know, if we are going to put in a new requirement we are actually finding ways for food vendors to be partners and for the city to be a partner to the Small Business community as well. One other thing i want to mention. The thing that it is not contingent or applied to prepackaged offsite locations. I think that is a little problematic. How do we know that is not going to encourage to go businesses like delis and stuff, instead of producing their own readymade stuff that they buy outside of the city or externally. That is kind of my question. How are we making sure that is not disenfranchising our onsite production San Francisco produced to go items. It was our intent to reflect reality. Do i think there is a potential loophole there that could be exploited wrongly . Maybe. I think maybe some folks in the coalition that have been pushing similar ordinances around the bay area can help answer that question. You know, certainly, do i understand that there is a cost associated with that container and that the cost of the containers going to be included in the charge that you are paying at a food vendor, or at a corner store or a Grocery Store . Yeah, its all kind of there. In a Perfect World you would be able to get your sandwich without having it prepackaged and it might cost. 25 cent less then the prepackaged food sandwich. That is a virtue that we are trying to establish. Okay. Any other questions before we going into Public Comment . Okay, lets open it up to Public Comment. Commission secretary . Okay. I do have some speaker cards here. As a reminder, we will be limiting Public Comment up to two minutes. There is a timer. We will begin with Taylor Stafford with pier 39, followed by kristen teach from green to bins. My name is sandra fletcher, i am the president and ceo of simcoe restaurants on pier the biggest concern is while we are very much in support of sustainability, and we are actually Green Business certified. We are pier 39, where 90 of our business is tourism. I dont know about any of you, but i dont travel and pack my to go containers, and to go coffee cup. We arty have a reputation that we are a tourist trap, and that overcharge. Now, this is one more line item that we have to add to a check to try to explain to people from all over the world why we are charging them this. I understand, you know if you live locally. We just cannot afford this. This is another thing we are fighting against. The tourism, as you know, is one of the biggest profits. It pays everything. Its really a big concern for us that we are going to add Something Else and go against the negative image that San Francisco is arty receiving with the homelessness and the cost of hotels. Our going to have the cost of having to pay. The customer will not understand when they come into my coffee shop, if you want this cup of coffee youre going to have to pay. I cant push them to try to sell them a to go cup. Excuse me, a cup, souvenir cup that is 10, so now instead of them getting a 3dollar cup of coffee theyre going to have to get 13. It is very difficult for us on pier 39 with these types of ordinances are put in place. In 20 thank you. Hello. Good afternoon. My name is kristen, i work for green tip in. Let me put my glasses on, sorry. It is a sustainable Small Business located in San Franciscos Mission District. They make planned based plant based lunches, grown locally. These are reusable containers delivered to customers by electric bicycles. When it comes to sustainability, i like to say that we truly walk the talk. Green tip and has been in business for four years was founded by visionary. We have over 2,000 subscribers. When customers subscribe, they put down a 25dollar deposit which is refunded when they and their subscription and return to us. Approximately half of subscribers and up keeping it for their own personal use for their lunches, their kids lunches et cetera. The amount of disposable plastic we have prevented from going into a landfill is greater than what we even estimate. Speaking of which, since travertine began operation four years ago we estimate that we have kept over 75,000 single use or non reusable plastic containers out of landfills by offering customers reusable containers. Travertine is one Small Business, we have such a huge impact. Imagine how much lighter if all establishments followed this lead. It is an immigrant owned bicycle power plant based Small Business. This is showing us exactly how to do this legislation. On behalf of all of us at green tipon, we support the reuse ordinance. I have information if you want to read about us. Thank you. Next speaker, please. I so long. The owner and founder of zeno nutrition which makes protein bars. We have a local headquarters here in San Francisco. We sell hundreds of thousands of bars around the country, particularly california. We are also retailing in San Francisco, gnc and other establishments. We are not directly impacted by this ordinance. We recognize this could be a harbinger of things to come down the road. We happened to support the proposed ordinance, because we have an issue ourselves with trying to be clean and green. Our bars come in a nonrecyclable , plastic wrapper. We could make them from recyclables, but it puts us at a competitive disadvantage against our competitors. Unfortunately, we are not doing it. We are hoping at some point there will be legislation statewide or in congress or somewhere that requires recyclable packaging. That will level out the playing field. The difference though in this ordinance on what we are facing is unlike protein bars, this takeout charge, there is no net Financial Impact to business. For example, someone buys a 4dollar latte. Now they have to pay 4. 25 in theory, but the owner of the establishment can reduce the price by. 25 cent to reduce the cost of the cut. I dont understand the point other than one little line item on the receipt. Other than that, i think it is a clean zero impac