Use of Styrofoam in Eateries Is Targeted
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A Council member will introduce a bill today that would ban the use of Styrofoam-type trays in city agencies and eateries, including restaurants and delis.
“It is mind boggling that our city, which is becoming a leader on environmental issues, is still using Styrofoam when we know it is extremely harmful to our environment and creating massive amounts of waste,” the bill’s sponsor, Bill de Blasio of Brooklyn, said.
The containers contain chemicals that make them virtually impossible to decompose. Because of their compact nature, they resist compacting and take up more landfill space than other materials, including paper.
The Department of Education uses more than 153 million of the trays each year in its school cafeterias.
The containers are created from polystyrene, a petroleum-based material, and can release toxic chemicals when heated in a microwave, according to a report by the environmental group, Earth Resource Foundation. The chemical styrene, a component of polystyrene, is classified as a possible human carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Under the bill, the penalty for providing the containers would be a fine up to $500 for the first violation and up to $1,000 for continuing violations. Each use of the packaging would be a separate violation.
The manager of the Manhattan restaurant Kiran, Amit Shaha, said his customers like the separate compartments in the Styrofoam-type boxes when they order his lunch buffet, particularly when eating different foods with sauces.
“I can put it in the aluminum [containers], but the food mixes up,” Mr. Shaha, said. “Like chicken curry — how are you going to put the rice with this? It’s going to mix up without the three compartments.”
The first cities to ban Styrofoam containers were Berkeley, California and Portland. When San Francisco enacted a ban in June, restaurants replaced the boxes with biodegradable substitutes, which, diners soon discovered, begin decomposing when exposed to heat and moisture.
The group Parents Against Styrofoam in Schools calls for the education department to switch to either reusable plastic trays or trays that are biodegradable.
