On January 8, 2015 administration officials of Bill de Blasio, the current mayor of New York City (NYC), are expected to announce the ban of plastic foam used for cups and food containers. According to an article in The New York Times from January 7, 2015 the ban is expected to become effective in July 2015 with a transition period of six months. Most recent numbers indicate that the city collected approximately 28,000 tons of polystyrene per year.
The former mayor of NYC Michael R. Bloomberg already proposed this ban on plastic foam used for food packaging in February 2013 (previously reported on by the FPF). In December 2013 the City Council passed a compromise measure that gave foam supporters the opportunity to prove the economical recyclability of used foam within a year. On January 7, 2015 city officials finally concluded that polystyrene foam was not recyclable and that they had not found any established markets for selling used plastic foam. Two strong opponents of the ban, the plastic foam manufacturer Dart Container Corporation and the American Chemical Council, have not commented on the measure so far.
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The New York Times (January 7, 2015). “Under New York City rule, it’s the packaging, not the food, that’s to go.”
