May 17 - Styro Ban Passes in Burlingame, Long Beach to Vote on Bag Ban Tonight
Yesterday, the City of Burlingame voted to pass an ordinance banning food containers made from expanded polystyrene, also known as EPS or Styrofoam. The ordinance is modeled after San Mateo County’s EPS ordinance, and is effective starting in 2012. See an article and a link to the City Council hearing here.
CAW commends the City for banning Styrofoam, which is one of the most common types of litter found during coastal cleanups. Styrofoam is harmful to the environment, difficult to transport due to its lightweight quality, and not cost-effective to recycle. Moreover, EPS food containers that have been contaminated with food cannot be recycled.
In other plastic pollution prevention news, the City of Long Beach is voting on a bag ordinance this evening. See our action alert here—it only takes a few minutes to take action. If you’d like to attend the hearing, it will be held in the Council Chamber (333 West Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, California) starting at 5pm.
For a list of current plastic bag ordinances and eps ordinances, and for the latest updates on plastic pollution news, please visit our website.