Maine has become the first US state to ban single-use Styrofoam food containers and cups.
Maine Governor Janet Mills (D) signed the bill Tuesday morning, which will go into effect on January 1, 2021.
Styrofoam, generically called polystyrene is recyclable. However, there is no place to recycle polystyrene in Maine.
“Polystyrene cannot be recycled like a lot of other products, so while that cup of coffee may be finished, the Styrofoam cup it was in is not,” Governor Mills said in a statement. “In fact, it will be around for decades to come and eventually it will break down into particles, polluting our environment, hurting our wildlife, and even detrimentally impacting our economy.”
Maryland may become the next state to ban Styrofoam, as its legislature has already approved bills to ban polystyrene, but it’s unclear whether the state’s Governor Larry Hoagland (R) will sign the legislation.
California and New York have banned single-use plastic bags, but have not yet enacted any legislation against Styrofoam containers.
