County Says Goodbye to Styrofoam Food Containers, Packing Peanuts

Residents in Montgomery County should begin finding compostable and recyclable alternatives to Styrofoam products.

In a unanimous vote Tuesday, the Montgomery County Council enacted a bill that will ban the use and sale of certain polystyrene, commonly known as Styrofoam, food products and polystyrene loose fill packaging (packing peanuts), Montgomery Community Media reports.

Products made from Styrofoam are not biodegradable and can’t be recycled, according to Bethesda Now.

The bill, sponsored by council members Hans Riemer, George Levanthal and Marc Elric, will require the use of compostable or recyclable single-use disposable food service ware by the county government and its contractors effective Jan. 1, 2016 and for private businesses effective Jan. 1, 2017, Montgomery Community Media reports.

“Many studies have shown that these foam products, especially those used for take out food, make up a substantial portion of the waste found in our waterways,” Riemer said in a news release. “It never biodegrades, but it breaks apart, making it especially difficult to clean up. Recyclable and compostable alternatives are readily available and competitively priced, so it’s time to move on from using foam products.”

Styrofoam products that will be banned include foam containers, plates, cups, trays and egg cartons. Products packaged outside of Montgomery County before receipt by the food service business and materials used to package raw meat, seafood or poultry are exempt from the ban.

A 2010 report by the Anacostia Watershed Society shows 22 percent of waste collected by a trap along Nash Run to be bits of Styrofoam, according to the news release.

“Once broken into smaller pieces, it makes its way into our streams and oceans, where it is ingested by fish, seabirds and other animals, eventually moving up the food chain,” Elrich told Bethesda Now. “The Environmental Protection Agency says that 100 percent of Americans have styrene — a known carcinogen — in their bodies.”

The bill will be enforced by the Department of Environmental Protection, the Washington Post reports. No inspections will be conducted, but the county will investigate any complaints made about possible violations.

With the vote on Tuesday, Montgomery County joins New York City, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and Washington D.C. in banning Styrofoam.

The full bill is available on Montgomery County Council’s website.