Mar 26 - Mountain View Bans Sale, Distribution of EPS Foam Products

Yesterday evening, the Mountain View City Council adopted an ordinance that not only restricts foamed plastic food packaging in restaurants, but also prohibits the retail sale of similar foamed products, including coolers and expanded polystyrene (EPS) packaging peanuts, in stores.

Although bans of EPS food containers in restaurants have decreased the amount of foamed litter found in beach cleanups, other foamed products, such as the single-use foam coolers, still contribute to the litter found.

Only eight other jurisdictions in California have taken similar measures to ban retail sales in their ordinances. Statewide at least 69 local governments total have banned foam takeout containers in restaurants. See the full list and Mountain View's ordinance language.

The city's newly adopted EPS ordinance goes into effect on July 1, 2014.