New York has become another of the world’s major cities to ban EPS. Expanded Polystyrene Australia believes that the decision is flawed and EPSA executive director, Becher Townshend, told PKN why.
In the first week of 2015, New York City mayor, Bill de Blasio, announced a citywide ban on expanded polystyrene packaging (EPS) foam containers and packing peanuts that will go into effect in July 2015. Manufacturers and stores will not be permitted to sell or offer single-use foam items such as cups, plates, trays, or clamshell containers in the city. The sale of polystyrene loose fill packaging, such as packing peanuts will also be forbidden.
EPS is already banned in a number of major US cities, including Washington, DC, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Oakland, Portland, Albany and Seattle.
It was banned in Muntinlupa in the state of Manila in the Philippines in 2010, in Toronto Canada in 2007, in Paris in 2007 and Corsica in France in 1997. EPS take-away containers and tableware were banned in China from 1999 to 2013.
De Blasio explained the New York decision, "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 ban stems from a Department of Sanitation (DSNY) determination that "EPS foam cannot be recycled”. The DSNY also determined that there currently is no market for post-consumer EPS collected in New York’s kerbside metal, glass, and plastic recycling program.
So, is EPS a material that we need to eradicate? Expanded Polystyrene Australia (EPSA) has described the decision by the New York City council as being more about looking like being environmentally friendly than actually doing anything about it.
“This is political spin, whereby elected members such as Mayor de Blasio take the easy option of banning single use expanded polystyrene in food service and loose packaging, instead of dealing with the real issue of appropriate supply chain logistics that would see the product properly recycled,” stated EPSA executive director, Becher Townshend.
“EPS is 100% recyclable and by suggesting that it is not, Mayor de Blasio is demonstrating his ignorance on the issue.”
Townshend noted that the EPS sector in Australia is committed to seeing the product recycled and working with government, environmental groups and authorities as well as land fill operators and other groups to come up with meaningful solutions in dealing with EPS waste.
“Given that EPS is 100% recyclable, there are solutions out there to deal with minimising the waste to landfill issue. However, if this is to be achieved, it involves commitment by not only producers of product, but also retailers, consumers, representative organisations and all levels of government.
“EPSA is committed to working on the solutions, our challenge to decision makers in government is to get them to join us in providing meaningful solutions, not simple knee jerk reactions designed to achieve a short term positive PR outcome, which don’t actually deal with the substantive issue of dealing with a 100% recyclable product.”
Mike Levy, senior director for the American Chemistry Council's Plastics Foodservice Packaging Group that creates programs to educate the public about the importance and benefits of plastic foodservice packaging, is of the same mind. He made the following statement shortly after de Blasio’s announcement.
"We are puzzled by the city's decision to continue sending alternative foodservice and foam packaging to landfills instead of saving money by recycling foam at kerbside. New York City could have surpassed Los Angeles as the largest city to recycle foam packaging at kerbside, building on the experience of existing kerbside recycling programs in other cities. Based on New York City's decision, residents will not be able to recycle any foam packaging - meat trays, egg cartons, protective packaging, foam cups - at kerbside, and the use of foam foodservice packaging will be restricted. This will neither increase recycling nor reduce litter." Levy added that restrictions on foam foodservice packaging will also harm the area economy.
