Come July 1, New York City will go styrofoam container-free under a plan announced by Mayor Bill de Blasio to help save the environment from materials that can’t easily be recycled.
“We have better options, better alternatives, and if more cities across the country follow our lead and institute similar bans, those alternatives will soon become more plentiful and will cost less,” Mr. de Blasio said Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The styrofoam ban was initially proposed by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Mr. de Blasio announced his intent Thursday to implement the ban, which will include cups, trays and other containers.
Portland, Oregon, and Seattle have similar bans, the Times reported.
“We want to be able to make [a] change in New York City to make us more resilient and more sustainable,” Kathryn Garcia, sanitation commissioner for the city, told the Times. “We really need to identify things that there are alternatives that are environmentally sound, and rid ourselves of those materials that are not recyclable and will not have a future life.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.