City of Arcata to discuss reducing city waste and a possible temporary ban on closing mobile home parks.

Arcata, Ca., (KIEM) Arcata’s City Council will discuss two hot button issues at Wednesday’s meeting. Plans to reduce the city’s waste and a possible temporary ban on closing mobile home parks.

Earlier this year the council has been receiving multiple comments on ways the city can strive towards reducing its plastic waste.

Back in 2017 Arcata adopted a Zero Waste Action Plan in order to promote the zero waste initiative, specifically the use of single-use plastics.

For the past few weeks, Arcata City Staff compiled different research for multiple municipalities and ordinances those districts have adopted.

Wednesday, staff would like the council to consider the ordinances that the department has come up with. One option is charging a small fee for take-out containers at local eateries.

“The thought behind that is that a lot of jurisdictions have fees on takeout containers that the restaurants collect and then they’re able to use that to offset the cost that can potentially be associated with more expensive takeout containers,” said Arcata’s Environmental Programs Manager, Emily Benvie. “So it’s not so much of a tax or city-imposed fee but encouraging local restaurants, groceries stores, businesses to charge their own fee to discourage takeout packaging.”

The other item, surrounds staff wanting the council to impose a temporary moratorium on the closure or conversion of all mobile home parks within the city.

With the moratorium in effect, the ordinance will give staff time to establish land use regulations around those closures and conversions. It will also put a temporary stop on any attempt to convert mobile home parks.

“What these measures are really intended to do is to protect people who are living in these mobile park homes,” shared David Loya, the city’s Director of Community Development. “Many of whom are at the lowest income spectrum and don’t have a lot of say as to whether or not their parks are closed or not.”

Arcata City Council meeting will be Wednesday, May 1 at 6 PM in the council chamber.