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NYC Just Banned Plastic Foam Food Containers
By
Lauren Evans
Published Dec 20, 2013
Modified Dec 20, 2013
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Shutterstock / Thanaphiphat
By
Lauren Evans
Published Dec 20, 2013
Modified Dec 20, 2013
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As expected, the city council passed a bill banning plastic foam food containers, though they won't physically disappear until July of 2015.
Dart Container, who along with the American Chemistry Council, represented the stiffest opposition to the ban, conceded on Monday with a compromise amendment stipulating that the city authorize a one-year recycling test, during which it must prove that recycling plastic foam is "feasible and economical."
Dart's argument against the ban was that the high price of more environmentally-friendly plastic containers would be too costly for small businesses. However, the bill allows such businesses to apply for a waiver to exempt themselves from the ban.
The ban passed the council unanimously. “Most foam ends up in landfills where it can sit for literally 500 years or longer,” said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. “The only thing in the world that lives longer than cockroaches or Cher is styrofoam.”
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