Maine Bans Foam Food Containers, Cups
The law, which doesn’t go into effect until 2021, is the first statewide ban on Styrofoam.
May 07, 2019
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AUGUSTA, Maine – Last week, Maine became the first state to forbid foam food and cup containers, WMTW-TV reports. Maine already had 15 localities with a similar ban.
“Polystyrene cannot be recycled [in Maine] like a lot of other products, so while that cup of coffee may be finished, the Styrofoam cup it was in is not,” said Gov. Janet Mills at the signing. “In fact, it will be around for decades to come and eventually it will break down into particles, polluting our environment, hurting our wildlife, and even detrimentally impacting our economy.”
While polystyrene can be recycled, there are no facilities that can do so in Maine. The law will go into effect January 1, 2021, and apply to retailers who use Styrofoam cups and plastic beverage stirrers, as well as other foam food containers.
“With the threats posed by plastic pollution becoming more apparent, costly, and even deadly to wildlife, we need to be doing everything possible to limit our use and better manage our single-use plastics—starting with eliminating the use of unnecessary forms like plastic foam,” said Sarah Lakeman, the sustainable Maine director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine.
Maryland also is considering a ban on polystyrene containers.
“Polystyrene cannot be recycled [in Maine] like a lot of other products, so while that cup of coffee may be finished, the Styrofoam cup it was in is not,” said Gov. Janet Mills at the signing. “In fact, it will be around for decades to come and eventually it will break down into particles, polluting our environment, hurting our wildlife, and even detrimentally impacting our economy.”
While polystyrene can be recycled, there are no facilities that can do so in Maine. The law will go into effect January 1, 2021, and apply to retailers who use Styrofoam cups and plastic beverage stirrers, as well as other foam food containers.
“With the threats posed by plastic pollution becoming more apparent, costly, and even deadly to wildlife, we need to be doing everything possible to limit our use and better manage our single-use plastics—starting with eliminating the use of unnecessary forms like plastic foam,” said Sarah Lakeman, the sustainable Maine director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine.
Maryland also is considering a ban on polystyrene containers.
Sustainability
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