No Decision Yet on Proposed Somerville Styrofoam Ban

The Somerville Board of Aldermen is gathering more information before making a decision about a proposed ban on polystyrene takeout food containers, according to Ward 6 Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz.

Gewirtz, who chairs the Board's legislative matters committee, said some on the committee, which met Wednesday, had questions about the economic impact of the proposed ban on local businesses. She spoke Thursday night at the Board of Aldermen meeting.

Gewirtz felt switching from polystyrene cups to an alternative cup might not cost businesses a fortune. "Maybe it's a consumer cost of two extra cents per cup," she said.

The proposed ban would also affect the Somerville public school system, which uses about 885,000 polystyrene trays a year, according to Pat Durette from Somerville Public Schools, who spoke about the matter at the end of February.

Gewirtz said the committee is not inclined to separate the issue of polystyrene takeout containers from the polystyrene used in schools. "We're going to do something comprehensive," she said of the proposed ordinance.

The Legislative Matters Committee will likely continue the discussion on April 4, she said.

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