These Styrofoam Products Will Soon Be Banned In NYC

NEW YORK, NY — The styrofoam cup you fill with coffee at your local bodega will soon be a thing of the past. New York City's ban on single-use styrofoam products is set to go into effect at the beginning of next year after the dismissal of a lawsuit challenging the measure, city officials said Wednesday.

"New York City’s ban on styrofoam is long overdue, and New Yorkers are ready to start using recyclable alternatives," Mayor BIll de Blasio said in a statement.

The Department of Sanitation planned to ban some polystyrene foam products starting in July 2015 after finding that the environmentally harmful material couldn't feasibly be recycled. A lawsuit forced the department to reconsider, but another examination of the issue reached the same conclusion.

The Restaurant Action Alliance of New York City sued again to stop the ban last year, saying it would hurt ethnic restaurants that rely on takeout orders. But a judge reportedly sided with the city last week.

The ban means businesses won't be allowed to sell or offer styrofoam food containers and packaging material. There will be a six-month grace period before city officials issue fines for violating the ban, and small businesses with less than $500,000 in annual revenue can apply for an exemption, officials said.

Here's a look at the styrofoam products that will likely disappear from stores once the ban starts on Jan. 1.

Cups

They're great for carrying a cold soda or hot coffe, but not so great for the environment. Americans throw away 25 billion styrofoam coffee cups every year, according to the Carry Your Cup campaign.

Takeout Containers

New Yorkers will have to carry their dinner in a different container starting next year. The Restaurant Action Alliance worried banning foam takeout containers would hurt ethnic restaurants, some of which rely on takeout orders for up to 60 percent of their business, the group's president, Akisha Freeman, said in a news release.

Plates

Nearly 29 billion disposable plates are sold in the U.S. each year, according to the Green Restaurant Association. New Yorkers will have to switch to paper, plastic or something else for cookouts and parties once the styrofoam ban goes into effect.

Trays

Officials pledged to start phasing styrofoam lunch trays out of city schools in 2015, but it'll get harder for any New Yorker to get them once the broader ban starts.

Packing Peanuts

Your boxes will have to be filled with something else — the city's impending ban applies to styrofoam packing peanuts too.

(Lead image: A food cart worker fills a styrofoam take-out container with food for a customer on Dec. 19, 2013 in New York City. Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)