Statement: Mayor's Proposed NYC Styrofoam Ban Would Be a Great Step Forward; Statewide Ban Would Be Even Better

The following statement can be attributed to State Senator Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan):

“In his State of the City address, Mayor Bloomberg announced that he will prioritize banning styrofoam food containers in New York City. This would be a great step forward for our city, both for the environment and public health – but we shouldn’t just stop at the city limits.”

“I call on my colleagues in the state legislature to race New York City to the goal and pass legislation to ban styrofoam food containers this year, and I ask Mayor Bloomberg to lend his considerable influence with the State Senate’s Republican-dominated majority to this cause.”

Styrofoam containers pose a serious public health problem, in addition to their environmental impacts: one of the components of styrofoam, styrene, is a known hazardous substance which is a suspected carcinogen and neurotoxin. Many people do not realize that when they reheat food in a styrofoam product using a microwave, toxins may be released into their food.

Sen. Krueger sponsors S. 3419, legislation that would ban use of styrofoam food containers statewide whenever comparably-priced alternative products are available.