New York City Bans Polystyrene Foam

Fines Imposed for Those Companies Unwilling to Comply  

The number of cities that have banned Expandable Polystyrene Foam (EPS) is expanding every day. Recently, New York City became the latest city to join the list. As of July 1, single-use EPS products are not allowed to be possessed, sold or offered in New York City. It’s estimated that Americans throw away 25 billion polystyrene coffee cups per year. Additionally, EPS waste can leak into marine environments and contaminate the water.

The main reason for the ban, however, is the inherent difficulty in trying to recycle EPS. Due to the chemical process that turns polystyrene beads into EPS, it’s nearly impossible to recycle one EPS product into another. This, of course, is not the case with the sustainable properties of molded pulp. To read the full BBC News story, please click HERE.