NEW YORK CITY – Local lawmakers announced a bill to ban the
sale of polystyrene foam foodservice products, a decision that will negatively
impact thousands of New York City businesses, as well as millions of local
consumers and taxpayers, according to the American Chemistry Council (ACC).
The ACC notes in a press release that the proposal,
supported by the Bloomberg administration, has the potential to cost New York
City and state nearly $100 million per year and will do little to reduce solid
waste. ?
”A ban in New York City would cost businesses, consumers and
taxpayers millions of dollars, as well as threaten jobs in the restaurant
industry, in upstate manufacturing plants, and in companies that reuse foam in
the greater metropolitan area," said City Council Member Peter Vallone.
"Foam can and should be recycled, and I urge the Mayor to work with the
Council to explore this option instead of a ban." ??
Local restaurant owners joined business leaders at a press
conference last week to express concern about the effect of a ban on their
businesses and bottom line, and encourage the city to explore a recycling
initiative. ??
"I use foam containers because they're great at keeping
food fresh and because they're economical," said Rosemary Nunez, owner of
La Nueva Estrella El Castillo Restaurant in Brooklyn. "This is just
another example of the Administration trampling on the interests of the people
who create jobs in this city." ??
With a ban in place, New York restaurants would need to
purchase more expensive alternatives that would pressure already squeezed
profit margins. In addition, these more expensive products often don't insulate
as well as their foam counterparts for hot drinks, leading to double cupping or
the use of a sleeve, which actually raises costs for businesses and increases
solid waste. According to a recent study published by MB Public Affairs, for
every $1.00 now spent on polystyrene foam foodservice and drink containers,
businesses will have to spend at least $1.94 on the alternative replacements,
effectively doubling costs. ??
"Manufacturers throughout upstate New York will suffer
significantly with this ill-advised proposal in New York City," said Mike
Durant, state director for New York of the National Federation of Independent
Business. "Both the Mayor and City Council need to spend more time
focusing on sensible solutions to the economic ills of both the City and State
rather than promoting unproven and onerous nanny-state mandates such as
this." ??
Beyond the economic impact, polystyrene foam foodservice is
lighter and more energy efficient than its most common alternatives — which are
also not currently recycled in New York City. A new study completed this month
by Moore Recycling Associates on behalf of ACC found that access to polystyrene
foam foodservice recycling has expanded much quicker than the recycling of
alternative products, and determined that 50% of the population of major cities
in California have access to foam recycling, compared with 15% of those same
cities recycling or composting paper-based alternatives. By implementing a foam
recycling program, New York would join these other leading cities on the
cutting edge of resource recovery, building on the recently announced expansion
of recycling in the city. ??
State officials, including Sen. Michael Nozzolio and
Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, have already voiced their concerns, asking
the administration and City Council to rethink a potential ban. These officials
have highlighted the negative impacts of a ban on their local businesses and on
the 1,200 polystyrene jobs in New York State. ??
"A ban in New York City would have an immediate and
dire effect on the in-state businesses that supply New York City restaurants
and food service establishments with these containers," said Nozzolio.
"This ban will destroy jobs and do nothing to reduce waste. I urge the
Mayor and the City Council to explore the option of recycling instead of a
ban." ??
"This proposal will have adverse impacts that will be
felt far outside New York City. A ban on these containers is expensive and will
result in the loss of jobs across the state," Kolb said. "This is bad
for business, bad for communities and bad for New York." ?