Oakland may tax out the trash

OAKLAND, Calif. – They spill out of trash cans, clog sewers and litter city streets and sidewalks. Burger wrappers, french fry containers and beverage cups discarded from fast-food restaurants and convenience stores plague cities across America.

Oakland officials are so fed up with fast-food trash that they want to tax the businesses they blame for much of the city’s garbage woes, then use the money to clean up the streets.

“It’s not fair that the residents have to clean up after a fast-food establishment that’s making a profit,” said Councilwoman Jane Brunner, who proposed the new ordinance.

Despite protests from business owners, a city council committee last month endorsed the measure, which would impose fees on all restaurants and stores that serve takeout food or beverages. The full eight-member council was expected to vote on the ordinance Tuesday.

If approved, Oakland would be the first city in the nation to force eateries, food and liquor stores to chip in to clean up litter, industry officials say.

Businesses are fighting the measure, saying they’ll be forced to pass along the costs to customers, including low-income residents and young people who are the biggest consumers of fast food.

“This is an indirect tax on the people,” said Benjamin Scott, public policy director for Oakland’s Chamber of Commerce.

Businesses say the city should educate the public and enforce littering laws. Some say they already pay employees to pick up trash in their neighborhoods.

Litter from fast-food restaurants has become a major problem in communities nationwide as more Americans depend on quick meals to accommodate “on-the-go” lifestyles, said Rob Wallace, a spokesman for Keep America Beautiful, a Stamford, Conn.-based nonprofit group.

Recent surveys show that fast-food packaging makes up about 20 percent of all litter, with packaging for chip bags, drink containers, candy wrappers and other snacks comprising another 20 percent, Wallace said.