New York Styrofoam Ban: Bloomberg Proposal Coming To Fruition This Summer

Unbeknownst to the majority as to why, some people like to have things banned. For anyone that can still recall the Bloomberg Administration in New York City, items throughout a major metropolitan city being banned was business as usual. The Inquisitr reported upon former Mayor Bloomberg’s Styrofoam ban last February.

Mayor Bloomberg, unlike his more notable soda ban attempt, might succeed in a ban on Styrofoam containers come mid summer. This was the same initiative that the former New York mayor expressed that they were “not banning everything.” He went on to explain, according to the New York Observer, that it was actually “polystyrene” that was being banned. His argument to back the ban was that an “awful lot” of the West coast have already banned it, and it costs 20 cents extra to recycle it.

Mayor Bill De Blasio made the announcement that the ban will be moving forward. The current New York City mayor had a different defense on why his predecessor’s ban was vital, Time reports. It is all about the harm to environment from Styrofoam.

“These products cause real environmental harm and have no place in New York City. 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. By removing nearly 30,000 tons of expanded polystyrene waste from our landfills, streets and waterways, today’s announcement is a major step towards our goal of a greener, greater New York City.”

The Styrofoam ban, set forth by the former New York mayor, will go in effect on July 1, 2015. According to Time, it is very thorough. The New York ban covers all stores, food services, and manufacturers. It will ban the possession, sale or offer single-use Styrofoam containers, cups, or even those little “packing peanuts.”

The New York Daily News reports that a big chain restaurant in the city has already said they their local franchises will comply with the ban. The local New York Dunkin Donuts in all five boroughs, as announced Thursday, following the mayor’s own announcement, are already testing alternatives and intend on complying with the ban. The “double walled paper” cup could be the replacement. Dunkin manager Taslima Khatun, however, is not happy with the ban and change in cups.

Khatun feels that the Styrofoam cups keeps the beverages hotter longer. She said after two to three hours, the beverage remains just as hot in Styrofoam. According to her, the customers agree. She estimated only three to five days out of the week, someone orders a beverage in a paper cup.

Though many big chain restaurants use the containers, and shipping companies utilize packing peanuts, it is food carts and small restaurants that will face the biggest burden. The New York Daily News further reported that at least one of those small restaurants is not happy with the ban either.

June Cai, the owner of New Li Yuan restaurant and bakery in Midtown Manhattan, says the ban will likely cause them to raise the prices of their food.

What are your thoughts? Do you believe that a ban is necessary? Should politicians be allowed to ban anything for a perceived good to the environment or citizens? Will a certain Belgium Electronica band be allowed to play in NYC?

Leave your thoughts below.

[Image via Wikimedia Commons]