In an article published on July 20, 2015 by the news provider Plastics News, reporter Jim Johnson informs about New York City restaurants calling Mayor Bill de Blasio to reverse the ban on plastic foam food packaging. The Restaurant Action Alliance (RAA) is supporting a petition to recall the ban claiming that “the City’s decision to ban foam was based not on evidence or fact, but on fulfilling political agendas.” RAA further states that polystyrene foam is 100% recyclable and that its ban is harmful to small restaurants as alternative carry-out packaging costs more than double the price of foam. RAA and single-use food and beverage packaging manufacturer Dart Container Corporation have sued the City of New York over the ban.
New York City banned plastic foam food packaging as of July 2015, with a transition period of six months (FPF reported). City officials had concluded on the ban because they found that polystyrene foam could not be recycled cost effectively. The ban was proposed by former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg in 2013 (FPF reported) and was opposed by business owners early on (FPF reported). A video posted by the magazine Chemical & Engineering News in May 2015 explains why recycling of polystyrene food packaging is not economical (FPF reported).
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Jim Johnson (July 20, 2015). “NYC restaurants push back against foam ban.” Plastics News
BBC News Magazine (July 1, 2015). “Why New York banned polystyrene foam.“
