Mylar balloons filled with helium may soon no longer be sold in Waukegan, but a ban on plastic bags and Styrofoam takeout containers continues to await City Council consideration.
Ald. Lynn Florian, 8th Ward, began her push to rid the city of balloon launches, Mylar balloons, Styrofoam takeout containers and plastic bags in December, leading to a balloon-launch ban the following month. She has waited since February to push for the rest.
The City Council’s Committee of the Whole voted 7-2 on July 15 at City Hall in Waukegan to create an ordinance banning the sale of Mylar balloons filled with helium, lessening stress on the environment.
“Helium is a finite resource and it’s needed in the medical community,” she said. “By banning helium in Mylar balloons, we’re doing a lot of good. We’re saving the environment and helping the healthcare industry.”
With the City Council scheduled to vote to end the sale of Mylar balloons filled with helium at 7 p.m. on Aug. 5 at City Hall, Florian said she plans to renew her push for the plastic bag and Styrofoam container ban when the Committee of the Whole next meets.
“It’s all about our environment,” Florian said in December. “We’ve talked about our environment. A lot of forward-thinking communities are going in this direction. We need to do something more forward-thinking for the community, for the children, for the future.”
Ald. Jose A. Guzman, 2nd Ward, voted against the Mylar ban just as he did in January when the balloon-launch prohibition was approved. It became effective April 1 after a citywide education campaign. He said he saw a group of people release approximately 40 recently.
“It’s a religious thing,” Guzman said.
Initially asking the committee to package all three bans in one ordinance, Florian was content for the time being with the Mylar legislation. Ald. Michael Donnenwirth, 7th Ward, who voted to send the Mylar ban to the council, objected to the other restrictions.
“Let people recycle their own stuff,” he said. “We don’t need to outlaw plastic bags, Styrofoam takeout containers and Mylar balloons. You’re hurting people because somebody is going to go to get something in (a) store and they can’t have a plastic bag.”
Ald. Edith Newsome, 5th Ward, said she has concerns about ending the use of Styrofoam containers. She worries about the cost to restaurants and other businesses that use them. She does not want to see prices increase as a result. She voted for the Mylar ban.
Florian said there are options for restaurants with containers made from different materials. Some already use them. Some are more costly than others. Many restaurants understand the dangers of Styrofoam. Americans discard 3 million tons annually.
“We have way too much of it,” Florian said. “It breaks down, creating issues with water and air. Of 3 million tons, 2.3 million end up in landfills, while the remainder makes its way to bodies of water. When left in a landfill, Styrofoam takes 500 years to degrade.”
Several retailers already do not use plastic bags to package goods for their customers. Florian said reusable bags are plentiful around the community. The city gives them away at events. She wants Waukegan to be an environmental leader.
“Maybe (we can) hand them out at clean sweeps,” Florian said. “The stores hand them out often. It’s the wave of the future. If people go somewhere, they’ll know they have to bring a bag.”
Joining Florian, Newsome and Donnenwirth in voting for the elimination of the sale of helium-filled Mylar balloons were Ald. Sylvia Sims Bolton, 1st Ward, Ald. Juan Martinez, 3rd Ward, Ald. Keith Turner, 6th Ward, and Ald. Thomas Hayes, 9th Ward.
Ald. Victor Felix, 4th Ward, voted with Guzman against the legislation.
