Single-Use Plastics

Plastic Free July Challenge

Plastic Free July® is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, waterways, healthier bodies, and beautiful communities. It's about learning to make small changes. Choose one single-use plastic item to avoid and you’ll soon discover another…and another great solution. We want to help you get started with a FREE customized Plastic Free Challenge Kit from the City of West Palm Beach Office of Sustainability filled with reusable items (while supplies last). Available to City of West Palm Beach residents.

Click here to register and customize your FREE Plastic Free Challenge Kit!

Pick-up will be on July 19, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society Parking Lot. An admission fee to the Zoo is not required for this giveaway as this is held within the parking lot.

Venture inside the Zoo after picking up your Plastic Free Challenge Kit to see the hundreds of animals you are helping to save by choosing to refuse single-use plastics. Bring the entire family - kids get in free! Up to FOUR children ages 3-12 receive complimentary admission with every full-priced adult admission from June 7 - August 10. As always, children age 2 and under are free. For more information visit www.palmbeachzoo.org/kidsfree.

Did you know? The Palm Beach Zoo has eliminated single-use plastic straws, bags, and bottles in their restaurants and shops, preventing thousands of plastic bottles, bags, and straws from making their way into our waterways. These actions save river otters, bald eagles, panthers and many more native species.

The City of West Palm Beach also has a Single-Use Plastic Straw and Stirrer Ordinance prohibiting the sale, distribution, and use of single-use plastic straws and stirrers within the City of West Palm Beach.

Discover more about Plastic Free July here: https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/

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Plastic Straw and Stirrer Ban

The City of West Palm Beach (the City) is committed to environmental stewardship and leadership and finds that it is in the public interest, safety, and welfare of its citizens and visitors to reduce litter and pollutants on the lands and in the waters of the City. Discarded plastic straws and plastic stirrers, as well as other single-use plastic items, threaten wildlife and marine life, negatively impact the City’s stormwater management system and waterways, and litter the waterfront and waters within the City.

On February 25, 2019, we introduced Ordinance 4836-19 to the City Commission to prohibit the distribution, sale or use of plastic straws and plastic stirrers. The ordinance was well accepted after the first reading with support from public speakers with Surfrider Foundation - Palm Beach County and Surface71 (a student organization). During the second reading on March 11, 2019, the ordinance unanimously passed and will go into effect on October 1, 2019. If you have any questions, please email Elaine in the Office of Sustainability (EChristian@wpb.org).

Report a Violation or Give Kudos

Click here to access the Google Form to give kudos to a local business for complying with the ordinance, or report a violation. Our goal is not to collect fines, but to keep plastics out of the environment. Businesses with reported violations will receive a personal visit first to provide details about the ordinance and offer assistance finding a good alternative for compliance. If businesses do not comply within a timely manner, violations may incur $125 per occurrence.

Bioplastics are NOT an Allowable Alternative

Products made from alternative non-plastic materials such as paper, rye wheat/hay, bamboo, reusable glass, steel, or metal straws are available as replacements for single-use plastic straws and stirrers. PLA #7 (bioplastic) is not an allowable alternative as scientific studies have shown that these products remain entirely intact for two or more years on land and in the ocean. Paper straws with a plastic lining must also be avoided. Businesses should consult their supplier for compliance or visit thelastplasticstraw.org for additional alternatives.