Somerville to Consider Styrofoam Ban

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.