The City of Santa Barbara is considering a crackdown on confetti and prohibiting the sale of small plastic water bottles.
An Ordinance Committee on December 2, 2025, voted unanimously to review and recommend the proposed ordinance regarding single-use plastics to the city council.
The proposal seeks to update the City’s single-use materials regulations to reduce the volume of single-use waste in landfills, reduce litter in streets and waterways, and incentivize the use of reusables.
The draft ordinance seeks to prohibit the sale of Mylar or foil balloons and confetti. While latex balloons will be permitted, they cannot be used for releases, such as ceremonies and grand openings.
Mylar balloons can cause power outages and wildfires if they are caught in power lines, said Daniela Rosales, a staff member of the Sustainability and Resilience Department and Clean Community Division.
Push Towards Using Compostable, Reusable Materials
The draft ordinance calls for banning the distribution of polystyrene or traditional plastic cutlery by restaurants or using styrofoam and rigid polystyrene. Disposable plastic foodware cannot be recycled at the County’s resource center and eventually ends up in landfills.
Restaurants and food establishments will be required to use compostable paper products, including fiber-based materials such as paper, sugarcane, wood, etc., Rosales said.
Food and beverage for on-site consumption must be served on reusable foodware .
Most coffee shops typically use plastic-lined coffee cups, which are not compostable. These cups will now have to be replaced with a bio-based plastic that can be composted at the resource center, Rosales said.
“Disposable plastic foodware totals over 500,000 tons per year in California. We’d like to help reduce this number through our ordinance,” Rosales said.
To help with this transition, the City will offer grants for dishwashers and reusable foodware purchases.
No Small Plastic Bottles
The proposal includes banning plastic water bottles eight fluid ounces or smaller within city limits.
Additionally, aseptic beverage containers, such as juice boxes and Tetra Paks, at City-owned and operated facilities will be banned.
To support the transition away from small plastic water bottles, the City will add water refill stations and launch a public education campaign on water quality and plastic pollution impacts, Rosales said.
Events will have to ensure at least 10% of beverages served on-site will be served in reusable cups.
Ban on Plastic Bags
The draft ordinance seeks to ban all plastic bags at grocery stores from January 1, 2026, Rosales said.
The bill includes a 50% paper bag recycled content requirement by 2028.
“Stores can distribute paper bags or sell reusable textile bags. This will be implemented statewide,” she said.