Maine has officially become the first state to ban food containers made of polystyrene -- you might know it as styrofoam.
The state's Governor -- Janet Mills -- signed the bill Tuesday, and will go into effect on January 1, 2021. The bill will prohibit businesses from selling or distributing disposable food service containers made of polystyrene (styrofoam).
Why ban these containers? They are considered a "significant contributor to environmental plastics pollution" because they break down into micro-plastics which can pollute oceans and eventually make their way into the food supply, according to a press release from Maine's governor's office.
The statement continued with: "Polystyrene cannot be recycled like a lot of other products, so while that cup of coffee may be finished, the Styrofoam cup it was in is not. In fact, it will be around for decades to come and eventually it will break down into particles, polluting our environment, hurting our wildlife, and even detrimentally impacting our economy.”
Maine is the first state to ban styrofoam containers, but cities across the U.S. have enacted similar bans. Take the likes of New York City and states like Hawaii and California both who have banned plastic bags and some cities and counties across the country have banned straws.
What are your thoughts on this styrofoam ban?
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