Jun 7 - Foam Ban’s Opponents on the Defensive
CAW supported bill, SB 568 (Lowenthal), prohibits food vendors from distributing cooked food in expanded polystyrene (also known as eps) containers. Proponents of the bill reiterate the environmental benefits at the core of their support, but staunch opponents, such as the Dart Container Corp., label the bill as a job killer; the company’s Lodi factory is said to shut down if the bill passes according to an article in The Record.
However, this isn’t the only dilemma the Dart Container Corp. has had to face recently. Earlier this year, the Sacramento District Attorney investigated the company for false advertising claims about their product’s recyclability. The company had placed ads at the Sacramento International Airport showing an eps cup with the recycling logo, despite the absence of eps curbside recycling in Sacramento or any nearby areas. For more information, read our blog and watch the KCRA video by clicking here.
Despite Dart’s other concerns, the Michigan based company is still fighting hard to kill SB 568, which passed through the Senate recently and will now make its way to the Assembly. One of Dart’s supporters, Republican Senator Berryhill, argues that jobs will be lost if the plant has to shut down. However, the bill’s author, Senator Lowenthal, stated in a Los Angeles Times article that jobs will be created due to an increase in demand for alternative food container products.
Visit the CAW website to see what we're doing on polystyrene and false environmental advertising.
If you want to support this bill, find out who your district’s Assembly member is and write them today.