Somerville to Consider Styrofoam Ban
The city will draft an ordinance that would ban polystyrene containers for take-out food.
Brookline banned polystyrene food containers in November (polystyrene is commonly known by the brand name Styrofoam). Soon after Cambridge decided to consider a ban, and now Somerville is following suit.
At a Somerville Board of Aldermen meeting held Thursday, the Board voted to have the city solicitor "draft an ordinance banning the use of polystyrene containers for take-out food service."
Ward 7 Alderman Robert Trane, who proposed the measure, said polystyrene ends up in landfills and leaches "dangerous chemicals" into the environment.
"Other cities and towns have already done it," Trane said about banning polystyrene.
Somerville Patch asked readers in November if they would support a ban, and most people who responded indicated they would.
Elizabeth Rose
11:15 am on Friday, December 14, 2012
Yes, ban it! Dunken Donuts will survive. They'll get with it and start giving away free travel mugs and/or start an incentive to bring your own
Courtney O'Keefe
2:39 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012
I get take-out from certain places that uses something similar to Styrofoam, but it can be recycled as the number on the bottom is within Somerville's recycling boundaries. What about recommending that along with enacting this ordinance?
DBOVille
2:48 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012
Let's ban it at the food trucks first, then see how it goes. It makes sense to evaluate
the move at the small scale so we know how it affects the businesses and if it is feasible for all businesses in Somerville to convert.
Courtney O'Keefe
3:26 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012
Maybe someone should have a pop-up store in Magoun Square that sells the recyclable containters wholesale?!
AHM
3:09 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012
It can be recycled, maybe start there until there is a better way to handle it on a state level. I can't see it a city level. I think it needs to be bigger, state or country if you are going to ban it.
Courtney O'Keefe
3:30 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012
If restaurants have a tough time with this, here are some good ideas courtesy of Eat At Jumbo's: http://www.eatatjumbos.com/sustainability.html