January 08, 2015
File Art /for PhillyVoice
New York City has banned styrofoam. Will Philadelphia follow suit?
When it comes to recycling, styrofoam is not to be taken lightly.
According to the New York Times, New York City put its cutting-edge bill banning the use of styrofoam into action today.
The measure, which was unanimously passed by New York City Council in December 2013, will prevent food purveyors from using polystyrene, a packaging material deemed unrecyclable. They'll have until January 2016 to make the change, which will be enforced beginning July 1. Mostly food carts and takeout spots will be affected.
“We created and undertook the most ambitious sustainability plan in the nation,” Caswell F. Holloway, the former deputy mayor for operations, said in a statement. “This latest step is another reason why New York has become a model for cities around the world.”
Will Philadelphia follow suit and ban this foamed synthetic polymer?
Director of the Mayor's Office of Sustainability Katherine Gajewski says that while the topic's come up in conversation, banning plastic foam is "not a stated goal of the Greenworks plan." Greenworks is the Mayor's initiative to make Philadelphia the greenest city in America - a mean feat when you look at New York.
What's at issue is the cost difference between relatively cheap polystyrene and more expensive alternative materials, including paper. The cost per unit's dropping as alt gains traction, creating a "more competitive" conversation.
According to Greenworks' 2014 report, Philly reached its goal of expanding plastics recycling, stating, "In 2011, the City began accepting ... polystyrene foam plastic at the Northeast Sanitation Convenience Center." Residents can recycle their own foam egg crates, coffee cups and foam peanuts.
That's an improvement for a trash program that doesn't pick up any plastic foam left curbside. Whether the City will decide to implement a better, albeit more expensive, solution in the form of requiring compostable packaging remains to be seen.
For now, Gajewski says, the focus is on limiting plastic bag use. The Food Trust, a nonprofit, has also "started to experiment" with compostable materials in their Night Market events.
The next time you order Chinese food and someone hands you a brown paper box, you'll know for sure the times are a-changin'.
