In a move to become a zero-waste city, Los Angeles (LA) officials voted to ban the sale and distribution of Styrofoam and other single-use plastic on Thursday, as per Gizmodo.
The 12 city council members voted unanimously in favor of the ban. As part of the ban, the distribution, and sale of expanded polystyrene products, or more commonly known as Styrofoam, will be prohibited.
Who Will Be Affected by the Styrofoam Ban?
According to CBS, businesses with 26 employees or more will be affected by the ordinance beginning April 2023. Meanwhile, for smaller businesses, the ordinance goes into effect one year later, in April 2024.
In a briefing, councilman Mitch O'Farrell said that LA is sending a clear message that expanded polystyrene or Styrofoam has no place in the city's future.
According to the ordinance, Styrofoam products are not biodegradable or economically recyclable. Moreover, their main component, styrene, is considered as a possible human carcinogen.
Another problem with Styrofoam is its chemicals can also leach into food stored in containers made with polystyrene. In addition, such products could potentially end up in open spaces, rivers, and oceans.
With the new policy being enforced in the city, LA joins more than 150 other cities that are enforcing similar ordinances. According to advocates, they believe it can set an example for more cities to follow the move.
Craig Cadwallader, the policy coordinator with Surfrider South Bay, said that what happens in LA doesn't stay in LA. He added that enforcing the new ordinance makes a big difference not just in LA, but beyond as well.
The city's ban on Styrofoam products comes as two other ordinances were passed. It includes closing loopholes in the ban on the sale and distribution of single-use plastic bags instated in 2013.
Another ordinance passed was the requirement for city departments to have zero-waste at city facilities and events.
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Ordinance Allows Some Exemptions
Styrofoam can have some devastating consequences on the environment, according to the Society for Environmental Journalists. Similarly, it contributes to global warming.
Styrofoam also decomposes at an extremely slow rate. Based on estimates, Styrofoam in a landfill takes roughly 500 years to decompose.
Moreover, according to estimates, about 20% of Styrofoam wastes do not make it into landfills. Instead, they end up littering across the US, on land, and in water.
In a technical sense, it can be recycled, but the majority of facilities will not accept it because most Styrofoam mediums cannot be cleaned easily. Thus, companies cannot make money from recycling it.
According to the ordinance, more durable materials are not included in the ban. Surfboards or coolers, medical devices, craft supplies, and safety devices such as life preservers, helmets, and vehicle impact prevention systems are exempted from the ban.
Similarly, residential care and health facilities are exempted from the ban. According to Gizmodo, the ban can be temporarily suspended in case of a natural disaster or local emergency declared by the US president or California governor.
LA has a zero-waste target by 2050 and the new Styrofoam ban is one of the moves the city undertakes to attain its target.
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