SAN JOSE, Calif. – The war against Styrofoam continues with the passage of a ban on the plastic foam containers in the city of San Jose, the Silicon Valley Business Journal reports. The City Council approved the measure 9-2.

National chains with San Jose locations have until Jan. 1, 2014, to jettison the foam containers, while smaller stores will need to make the switch by Jan. 1, 2015. Bars, caterers, coffee shops, convenience stores, mobile food trucks, restaurants, roadside stands and supermarkets all have to obey the ordinance. The only exception is nonprofits. However, small businesses earning under $300,000 annually could ask for a hardship exemption if an inexpensive alternative to polystyrene containers cannot be found.

“The measure to ban foam food containers that was passed by the city this evening is disappointing,” said Javier Gonzalez, government affairs director for the California Restaurant Association. “This ban will directly impact our city's family-owned restaurants by forcing them to pay higher costs to run their business on an already thin profit margin.”

San Jose also bans plastic bags. Other California localities forbidding foam container usage include Oakland, San Francisco, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz. Meanwhile, Dunkin’ Donuts recently began an expanded trial run on non-foam coffee cups.