New York mayor seeks to ban Styrofoam

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

New York mayor seeks to ban Styrofoam

By Edith Honan
NEW YORK | Wed Feb 13, 2013 8:36pm EST

(Reuters) - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will propose a ban on Styrofoam, the substance commonly used for take-out food containers that is almost impossible to recycle.

The mayor who has already targeted fat, sugar and salt in the city will turn to extruded polystyrene foam, saying it clogs up landfills, does not biodegrade and might harm human health.

Bloomberg will raise the proposal in his final State of the City speech on Thursday. The city provided reporters an advance text of the speech on Wednesday.

Bloomberg, in his 12th year as mayor, has made public health and sustainability hallmarks of his three terms in office, and he has taken aim repeatedly at the fast-food industry - most recently in his controversial plan to bar the sale of large portions of sugary soda, which goes into effect next month.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/14/us-usa-newyork-bloomberg-styrofoam-idUSBRE91D04220130214

[MADem]

1. I don't like styrofoam. There are a few applications where it is useful (like those porta-coolers)

but it's mostly a pain. I don't like the peanuts for packing, I think the bags of air work much better. I don't like the food containers; I'd rather have a cardboard box and some waxed paper; or the item wrapped and bagged.

They've come up with a "plastic" bag made of corn that biodegrades, perhaps they'll come up with a "styrofoam" product that has the same heat/cold retaining characteristics, the rigidity, etc. but will biodegrade in a landfill.