In the past year, plastic straws became the target of a number of environmental campaigns, which has led it to be banned in many places around the world, including Hawaii. Indeed, many states around the US have started to introduce laws that will phase out straws, cutlery, and other single-use plastic items, but until now, no state has tackled the problem of foam food containers. This week, Maryland passed a measure to outlaw disposable foam products, which, if it becomes law, would give businesses a year to phase out the use of foam materials and replace them with more eco-friendly alternatives. Polystyrene foam is particularly awful for the planet because it can’t be recycled, takes hundreds of years to degrade, and has been linked with cancer. If Maryland can successfully phase out foam containers in a year, it could become a blueprint for other states to do the same.
Maryland just passed a measure to ban foam food containers
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