In a bid to curb waste and help both restaurants and the city save money, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to set the wheels in motion for an ordinance that would require restaurants, bars and other food-service operations to provide to-go utensils only if they are requested by the customer.

In a bid to curb waste and help both restaurants and the city save money, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to set the wheels in motion for an ordinance that would require restaurants, bars and other food-service operations to provide to-go utensils only if they are requested by the customer.

The vote calls for City Attorney Mike Feuer and the Small Business Commission to draft a new Foodware Accessories Upon Request ordinance, modeling it on the city’s Disposable Plastic Drinking Straws ordinance enacted in 2019.

Restaurants, including ghost kitchens, would no longer provide utensils, napkins, straws and condiments with food or drink orders, unless requested. The motion — put forth by councilmembers Paul Koretz, Paul Krekorian and Mike Bonin — also states that third-party delivery companies, such as Postmates, UberEats and Grubhub, would need to program an opt-in feature for food accessories on online and app deliveries.

“It’s not about enforcement. Rather it is a focus on changing behaviors and reversing the normalization of widespread consumption of disposable plastic waste,” said Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, who spearheaded the plastic-straws initiative. “People care deeply about our environment and our planet. When consumers take a moment to think if they really need single-use foodware items and contemplate the actions that are so casually destroying our environment, I believe they’ll make an informed decision.”