How Orlando Handles Single-Use Items: A Practical Guide

Every city handles single-use items a little differently. In Orlando, Florida, there are 3 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Polystyrene Foam Rules

Florida Statute Section 500.90 prohibits Orlando and every Florida municipality from regulating expanded polystyrene food containers, foam coolers, or coffee cups, with limited grandfather exceptions for ordinances enacted before January 1, 2016.

Key details: Local foam ban: Preempted statewide. Authority: FL §500.90. Grandfather: Pre-2016 ordinances only. City option: Voluntary outreach.

Orlando cannot enforce any local polystyrene ban or restriction on foam food packaging. Local rules face preemption challenges under FL §500.90.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Orlando gives residents more flexibility on polystyrene foam rules.

Plastic Bag Rules

Orlando cannot enforce a plastic bag ban or fee. Fla. Stat. § 403.7033 preempts all Florida local governments from regulating disposable plastic bags. Orlando's Green Works strategy uses voluntary plastic-reduction pledges and city-operation BYOB rules — but cannot impose retail mandates.

Key details: Local Ordinance: None for retailers; city-property rules only. Preemption Statute: Fla. Stat. § 403.7033. City Action: 2018 ban on single-use plastics at city facilities. Diversion Goal: 90% by 2040 (Green Works). Confirming Case: Fla. Retail Fed'n v. Coral Gables (Fla. 3d DCA 2019).

Orlando cannot cite retailers for plastic-bag distribution. Single-use plastics on city property (parks, city-run venues, vendor permits) are regulated under the 2018 Green Works directive and concession-contract terms. Litter generally falls under Orlando City Code Chapter 28 (Streets and Sidewalks) and Fla. Stat. § 403.413, the Florida Litter Law.

Orlando is more permissive than most cities when it comes to plastic bag rules. That said, there are still limits.

Plastic Straw Rules

Florida House Bill 771 (2019) suspended local plastic straw bans through July 1, 2024 pending DEP study. Although the moratorium has technically expired, FL §403.7033 still preempts local auxiliary-container regulation, leaving straw bans on uncertain legal ground.

Key details: HB 771 moratorium: Expired July 2024. Continuing preemption: FL §403.7033. Local mandate: None in Orlando. Common practice: Voluntary upon request.

Orlando has no enforceable plastic straw rule. Voluntary upon-request policies are encouraged but not mandated, and any future local ban would face state preemption challenge.

The rules around plastic straw rules in Orlando lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Orlando gives residents more room on single-use items. 3 of the 3 rules here are rated permissive. But permissive does not mean unregulated. There are still requirements, and the city does enforce them when violations are reported.

These rules come from Orlando's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.