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Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will propose a ban on Styrofoam, the substance commonly used for take-out food containers that is almost impossible to recycle.
The mayor who has already targeted fat, sugar and salt in the city will turn to extruded polystyrene foam, saying it clogs up landfills, does not biodegrade and might harm human health.
Bloomberg will raise the proposal in his final State of the City speech on Thursday. The city provided reporters an advance text of the speech on Wednesday.
Bloomberg, in his 12th year as mayor, has made public health and sustainability hallmarks of his three terms in office, and he has taken aim repeatedly at the fast-food industry - most recently in his controversial plan to bar the sale of large portions of sugary soda, which goes into effect next month.
Styrofoam, he says, should go the way of lead-based paint, which the city banned from residential use in 1960. An estimated 20,000 tons of Styrofoam enter the city's waste stream each year, and it can add an estimated $20 per ton to the cost of recycling because it needs to be removed from the recycling stream, the city said.
"After all, we can live without it. We may live longer without it. And the doggie bag will survive just fine," the text of Bloomberg's speech says.
Dow Chemical Co, which makes Styrofoam, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Similar bans have been adopted in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Portland, Oregon.
The plan was likely to meet opposition from small businesses, since alternatives to Styrofoam tend to cost between two and five times as much.
"As this proposal moves forward, we hope that the concerns of the small businesses it affects - like cost increases - will factor in at least as heavily as environmental concerns," said Andrew Moesel, a spokesman for the New York Restaurant Association.
While Bloomberg's aggressive campaigns have won him plaudits from some, others have dubbed him a "nanny" mayor and said his ideas limit choice and pre-empt individual responsibility.
During his first term, he pushed through a ban on smoking in bars and restaurants, which, despite an initially rocky reception from New Yorkers, is now enormously popular and has inspired similar bans in cities around the world.
Next up was a ban on trans fats, found in Little Italy cannoli and fast-food french fries, and a dictate that fast-food restaurants post calorie information in large type on menu boards.
Last year, Bloomberg said restaurants and takeaway food shops could no longer sell sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces (47 cl).
Sugar-sweetened drinks are a significant source of extra calories in the U.S. diet and closely linked with weight gain, which often accompanies serious and costly illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease.
The soft drinks industry is challenging the ban, which is due to begin in March, calling it an unconstitutional overreach that burdens small businesses and infringes upon personal liberty.
Leave a Comment:
can we ban the mayor !
next he will tax breathing !
And sunshine!
The New York mayor is an idiot. Get rid of him.
He is an uncontrolled megalomaniac and needs brought under control. Since he's so anti gun, he should drop his huge security detail and walk the streets like the rest of us. Fat chance!! Totally full of himself.
How's that freedom working for you NYC, sounds like a despot has spoken.
And to think Shakespeare called me evil?
I really do feel sorry for New Yorkers.
Of all the issues going on in NYC, this is the one that keeps him up at night?
I don't feel sorry for New Yorkers. They brought this madness on themselves. They elected the left wing loon. Elections have consequences.
Crime is at an all time low, the housing market barely budged, new constructions are picking up, the city is as prosperous as ever...exactly why do you guys feel sorry for nyc?
Al,
The city is not as prosperous as ever. The construction is only up a little and it took a hurricane to get there. The city is so crowded that there is and always has been a shortage of housing and as long as the democrats control the city, crime can be considered rampant starting at city hall.
while i agree the Major sucks. Banning styrofoam does not. it is hardly like banning air or sunshine though the chemical making and break down is not that great for air. http://www.ehow.com/list_6137598_environmental-impacts-styrofoam.html.
The real problem with styrofoam is when it is disposed of into a body of water, as it floats. If separated from normal trash, like recyclables are, there would not be a problem. Perhaps the real danger is dumping the trash in the ocean. What is the reason for this? Money. Acting like an environmentalist while condoning the dumping of garbage into the ocean is just more political grand-standing. Why would any sane person listen to this guy?
I think he's fantastic. Don't have to worry about smelling like an ashtray after coming home from the bar. Don't need to see already obese people sucking back on vats of fattening drinks. And now this will help just a little bit more. Some people obviously can't take care of themselves so someone must do it for them. The next thing on his list is no more all you can eat in conjuction with portion control seminars where the importance of saying "I'm full!" is beaten over the heads of people.
I think the guy is way out of control, and over-the-top. Nevertheless, he has a point, and this is certainly worthy of discussion in an enlightened civilization -- if only we had one of those!
Ban people from naming magazines after themselves! I might resubscribe when that happens, probably not.
Salgal, ok.
He just doesn't like the way it squeaks.
Seee what happens when you give government an inch? It will take a mile and then some. It is never satisfied with draconian laws, there always needs to be some other aspect of our private lives that government wants to stick its nose in.
That will change. Open warfare will break out when the Five Families (McDonald's, Burger King, Chick-fil-A, Sonic, and Dunkin Donuts) go to the mattresses. The streets will run red.
denver bill 2
We only have three of your families here in NYC. No Sonic or Chick-fil-A. ( To be fair, there used to be a mini-Chick-Fil-A inside one of the NYU buildings but it's survival is doubtful.)
Al is absolutely right about NYC prospering, of course that isn't so easy to see from 2000 miles away there in Colorado. I and most other New Yorkers are not all for the drink ban. But the saturated fats thing has worked out fine. As for Styrofoam, I'll be all for it when it is a nation-wide thing. I think the country could get by without Styrofoam.
NYC used to be the greatest city in the world. Under this clown's dictatorship it has become a crime-infested hole that denies people their fundamental rights.
Ban Bloomberg. How does this dirtbag get his a$$ elected?
Government sticks its nose in when too many people are getting taken advantage of and we all know the average american is either too stupid or lazy to do research before most purchases. so either common sense laws need to be passed so when people get screwed and try to sue we say sorry your an idiot for giving them money or what usually happens is people go run crying to mommy(Big Government) saying they were taken advantage of and demanding something be done(banks and mortgages, etc). styrofoam is not a big loss and like many things that were banned you will not miss this one either.
I really hope I am lone gone before our own military has real, i mean real trouble finding american citizens that can physically qualify to serve our country. up to 1/3rd of autopsied soldiers show signs of early heart disease now(avg age in low to mid 20's). in past wars before the big gulps and drive through its was around 12%. so yes regulation for some things keeps people honest.
I agree. Most people won't do anything for their own health and the government has to take care of them sooner or later, so putting their illness off or preventing it makes good sense. I remember when people complained about taking lead out of gasoline, even though they have since quit complaining about it.
Styrofoam NEEDS to go! What ever happened to good old biodegradable cardboard?
This man needs to go to Belleveue Hospital for a 72hr. observation.
After all of the hullaballoo over Styrofoam in the 90s I'm actually surprised that it hasn't been banned by now. There are definitely alternatives to Styrofoam and if we care about quality of life of our kids and their kids, this is a step in the right direction. If you even just care about your own health, it's been repeatedly shown that chemicals in plastic leach into food when warmed - no way is Styrofoam good for you anyway.
The Gvmnt is not the answer.. I really wish the left could wrap their head around that statement.
You cannot regulate Stupid. You cannot fix Stupid.. The Nanny State, does not work with a constitutionalism style of Gvmnt. Our Constitutionalism Gvmnt is based around personal freedoms.
There has to come a time when the Gvmnt can say look, this is what we think a healthy diet should be. The people then choose to either follow the suggestions, or they choose to do what they want.... What this idiot is doing is trying to regulate our choices OUT of our lives.. It doesnt work.
Red Sailor,
Styrofoam is here, because we the consumer demand the lowest prices. Small business ( as stated in the article if you took the time to read it ) use Styrofoam because cardboard and other choice are up to 5 times more expensive. Soon there will be very few small business' left and we will all be going to Wal-Mart.. Not looking forward to that day.
Ive been to New York City and the burrows around it 4 times now. IF I never go back it will be too soon. The place stunk, was filthy, the people up there were rude as hell, and it was so overcrowded it wasn't funny. If that is the idea of perfect from the Liberal Left, I hope you never succeed in changing the entire country to that.
ever see how much more energy it takes to recycle cardboard and paper?
liberals have to save everything and everybody by interfering...some course of nature huh?
I guess you folks don't visit the west coast. We haven't had syrofoam for several years. Hasn't raised prices, you can get containers at costco by the box load - all made from biodegradable corn.
Do some investigation before you bitch.
I don't know what the problem with most of you is.
Gotta start somewhere....
It's like a disease, if you don't try to keep it under control, it'll kill you...
everytime you turn around this idiot is wanting to ban something, tax something and this is the same idiot that was gonna hold a marathon a few days after a hurricane hit the city. 12years is way tooo long to be in politics, they start thinking they are royalty or a prince. buddy your @!$%# stinks just like the rest of ours. i hate politicians and everything they stand for which is themselves.
When over half of our nation is obese, to include our children, it is quite clear many people need to be told what to eat and how to exercise.
Seeing that personal accountability is non existent, someone needs to step up to the plate.
Fortunately for me, there is no requirement to fact check humor.
Don't hold your breath waiting for it. Most mayors have better things to do than regulate how much people drink or from what they drink it.
Denver-- I could tell you were trying to be "funny". Fortunately, not everything deemed as humor, is actually laugh inspiring.
Bill,
That was FUNNY as hell man! LMAO dude! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!
moving out of this dump called NYC ,going to a "red" state ,p.s. i love burning those styrofoam containers mr bloodyturd Bloomberg !
@denver bill 2 ,speaking about holding your breath ! and as a middle finger up to the mayor , i like burning those styrofoam containers just to piss off mayor bloodyturd Bloomberg
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.........................................Now that's just funny..................
Please folks, don't be so hard on Bloomer, he's infected with Jimmy Carter disease and there's no cure. There is hope though; under Obamacare, people who show early warning signs will be confined to institutions out of the lime light before they can do a whole lot of damage.
See ..... who says styrofoam can't be recycled? ..... from carbon-based material into carbon-based material.
I love Bloomberg! And all you who don't like him, stay out of NYC! We don't want your waste dumping, fat loving, sugar loving overweight bodies here! We want to be healthy and stay that way... go back down South where your educational systems suk, your BMI is out of control and oh yeah, you take more $$$ from gov than what you put in, unlike your blue states, where we put in more tax money than what we get back from the gov. So until you wallet equals to what we put in, shaddup..and go have a heart attack on your fried, greasy foods
I am not a politician. I have no desire to force changes in your behavior, and I am not offended that your sense of humor is not as varied as mine.
I believe the Nazis banned many things too. Bloomberg is out of control.
I'll tell you what NY Mike, when the government tells "single mommie" welfare recipients that they will have to provide for their additional bastards on their own should they choose to get pregnant yet again and the US taxpayer will no longer be their "father" figure, I'll listen to what people like Bloomberg have to say about banning and accountability .
MzAcupuncture is having a bad day. He didn't get much sleep last night, worrying about how much sugar was in that Dr Pepper he "accidentally" drank yesterday.
ROFL - can we ban mayors that have an IQ less that 10?
I really think he might be a MORON... <------ look up the def.
myname123,
what is it that makes you so angry that you can't tell your right from your left? Perhaps you should sit down, have a long, cold bourbon from your best styrofoam glasses, and read a little denver bill 2 and creek dog. those guys can think, write, make a point, and employ sophisticated humor. I hope you can learn something.
Can someone please kick the Hitler Bastard out of office once and for all. I have never seen a jackass as insane as this idiot, who is trying to put his life in peril on a monthly if not weekly basis. This guy is begging to be knocked off. Hey Bloomberg, if you're trying to commit suicide, it would be much easier for you to jump on the rails at Grand Central Station. The volts might now do it but the amps will.
This is what happens when you're a billionaire with an ego bigger than Mount Everest! Think about it, this idiot just won't shut the f#@k up. And you idiots from NY who voted for him, the joke is most definitely on you! This is what you get for reelecting a closet flaming liberal bastard.
Styrofoam in durable products (like coolers, refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioning systems) is a great product. It's a fantastic insulation material.
Styrofoam for disposable one-time-use products, like food packaging, is fairly heinous. The evils mentioned by Mayor Bloomberg are real, and there are readily-available alternatives on the market. I can attest from my own experience in Florida that the stuff is an eternal nuisance. It washes into the mangroves and stays there basically forever. In addition to being unsightly, it doesn't break down, but it does break apart into smaller pieces that wind up getting eaten by birds and other wildlife.
Normally, I think Nanny Bloomberg is a nutcase. But this time, he might be on the right track. There are better alternatives to one-time-use Styrofoam, and consumer choices won't be unduly hampered by a ban.
I'm with you and the mayor on this.
It is interesting how the right wing folks scream "no bans" when it comes to products that can harm human health and the environment, and then scream "ban" on things that are completely innocuous, harm no one and add to people's happiness, like gay marriage. Hmm.
Of the two philosophies, Ill take banning dangerous products and allowing free human behavior rather than the reverse, thank you very much.
How about plastic, too?
Actually, what needs to be banned is the 'Planned Obsolescence" and "Disposable Goods" agenda that companies push to ensure you'll keep buying the same 'future trash' over and over (like paper/plastic plates) at the expense of our environment!
except for the fact that he is factually wrong. Styrofoam is recyclable. i used to manage a mcdonald's. everything in that restaurant was made of recycled foam- the serving trays, the tables, the chairs, half of our cooking implements, i mean, everything. then they caved to the pseudo-environmentalists, and switched to waxed boxes, then waxed paper, both of which are non-recyclable. all the substitutes for foam cost from three to ten times as much, per container, and NONE will keep food warm. the worst are the compostables- astronomically high prices, and your fries will be cold and mushy in 15 minutes.
Hey Mark1925471
Bloomie don't like 16oz soda ...... 16 oz Orange juice and Apple juice has the same sugar total ..... BAN THEM.
I hate styrofoam with a passion but hate it less since most that now comes into my possession has a plastic recycling number on the bottom of it. Now it does make it to the recycling center with the other 70% or so of my refuse that can be recycled. My problem with the whole recycling thing is that everything I take to the center gets shipped to Asia for recycling. It's our trash, why aren't we dealing with it?
Why not ban dumping garbage into any body of water. Littering is already against the law, so if people dispose of their trash properly, the only ones left to blame are government entities who OK the disposal of garbage in our oceans. We also need to ban cruise-ships and other ships including military from dumping into our oceans. Styrofoam has many great uses, even those pesky packing peanuts.
Mujihum,
Does anybody drink fruit juice in those sizes?
You are so right....what idiots are against banning styrene???? This is why I refuse to go to Dunkin Donuts!
The fact that people are drinking out of this dangerous plastic is just scary. So much ignorance!
yeah...who does Bloomberg think he is? Banning dangerous substances? What's next? Banning DDT and mercury emissions? We don't have to be healthy if we don't want to.
So, what are your leftovers supposed to go into? You can't put Cajun Chicken Pasta in a paper bag or ribs or anything else I purchase when I eat out.
We here in "Flyover Country" are LAUGHING OUT LOUD at New Yorkers...It is amazing what happens when you let undereducated people run Goverment.
@wryview: Ever hear of CARDBOARD?!? Works fine for all of the things you mention at the cafe I go to for lunch most workdays. Been using it for years!
The concern for our environment here is nice to see. However, there is a lot more to this than polystyrene not being able to biodegrade. The manufacturing of paper is much more damaging to our environment then polystyrene is by a considerable amount. Both wax coated paper and polystyrene are difficult to recycle, however in my medium size town there are 10 places that you can drop off polystyrene for reuse in packaging. I realize that most people will just end up dumping this in the garbage. Modern landfills are designed not to let things biodegrade (so paper will always be paper in a landfill). This is a good thing, and is done so that the paper does not release methane gas, which is damaging to our ozone. In my city our garbage is incinerated. The polystyrene releases considerable more energy than paper, which we transform into heat and power.
I love my earth. Let’s be smart and save it!
It is time that this "idoit ego centric gumba" is removed from office. Soon he will want to tell you what you can and cannot eat or drink at all times.
I only wish there was a way to take him out and flog him and place him in an old age type of setting where citizens could throw stuff (garbage) at him.
It is time he goes to the "old age" home and be given stale bread and water from the Hudson river to drink and nothing more and all his money will not save him.
The next thing you know Bloomberg will be telling ya who's dik you can suck, amirite?
So, mikey3038621, you're into that spartan wrestling and grouping and hoisting each other up until we find the manly cave of shame sorta stuff, are you?
Well, let me tell you bucko, I'm not that kinda guy. But, I do know this nice man in Seattle who'll spank you with a spatula until you confess all your sins. Maybe that'll help.
There's no fruit or vegetables involved but there is an old folks home nearby, but . . wait . . what are you planning to do with those nice . . Oh, it's Bloomberg you want to wrestle, I mean flog, I mean .. you want to stuff his cabbage or something?
Oh, never mind. I know you were only teasing. Always the kidder, you Mike3038621! There for a moment I thought you already knew that nice man in Seattle. But it must have been another mike3038621 I was thinking of. Never mind and I promise I'll never mention this to your wife, or girlfriend, or cabana boy, or whoever that was I saw you with.
Is this what the people of New York City elected him to do, deciding the size of their soft drinks and the type of material it is served in.
Why doesn't he just ban people from NYC and save himself some time with this nit-picking agenda he's on !
This guy is a dictator. Give me a break, banning the size of a soft drink...he is freakin nuts !!!
size of the drink? heck yes. its empty calories and should be regulated (solid food atleast keeps you satisfied for a while). we were screwed once the big gulp was made and became a new norm. look what happened when we deregulated the telecom industry? how much is your cell phone bill each month? when things get abused they need to be regulated. hopefully TV and Telecom will be put back in their places next. oh and next time you sit next to a fat person in a super roomy airplane thank them for exercising their 64oz rights.
Banning drinks of a certain size is stupid because you can just buy two drinks, and that's what people will do. Banning things does not work. It worked for trans fat in restaurants because restaurants are easier to police. You can't regulate how many 16 oz soda bottles someone cracks open in the course of a day.
My cell phone bill is lower now than it was in 1996.
then don't come to our city...
He's starting to sound like Dr. Raymond Cocteau from Demolition Man.
What's he going to outlaw next cussing, mean thoughts, alcohol, the exchange of bodily fluids?
Happy Happy Joy Joy.
You guys are all full of @!$%#. The world has a HUGE plastics problem and we need to start somewhere.
Take a look at this...I mean actually READ it:
http://www.algalita.org/index.php
Agreed.
What needs to be banned is the 'Planned Obsolescence" and "Disposable Goods" agenda that companies push to ensure you'll keep buying the same 'future trash' over and over (like paper/plastic plates) at the expense of our environment! Ashamed to bring kids here and call it 'home'.
If the people of NYC keep re-electing this man, they deserve what they get!
Isn't it amazing the older people get the longer they want to live? His generation created this garbage and now after making billions off of it they tell us it's killing us and we need to fire everyone that they hired. Do you think these people might feel different if they where told at the beginning if you can't clean it up you can't make it? How about if it kills you can't make it? Money is the only thing that counts to these people and as long as they got theirs they could care less what happens after that.
I agree. The human race began a financial experiment with chemicals about 100 years ago and I think we are still learning what the consequences of that experiment are.
All for the sake of money.
Cunfussed and Got,
it's what we do. sometimes we make mistakes. would you prefer hunting and gathering, and living in a damp, cold cave?
@Termlimit We are all just a step away from that, we hunt and gather at the local store[corporation] and pray that we can keep up with the ever rising property taxes and the rate hikes on utilities [government]. If we the people do not show care for the earth and her oceans, mankind will will destroy itself. Stop dumping garbage in the ocean.
i agree, chief.
Got Aspirin?
Is that the new call to arms phrase now - "We have to start somewhere"? And this is how it's done - Let's BAN the "bad" things! What "bad" things? Anything we don't like! Never mind like Confussed says - Well we made the problem, we made money off of it and now that it bothers us, we are going to ban it. Never mind that the alternatives cost more for businesses, who cares about them? If they don't like the ban and the alternatives, let them go out of business! They were privileged for having a business in NY (or Seattle, or Portland) in the first place. And really never mind that the customers (read citizens) will pay more for their food, we (meaning YOU) definitely know better than them and what is good for them. Instead of banning things, how about you find a way to recycle the Styrofoam? Think of it as a jobs program.
How about we find a way to stop doing the things we KNOW are damaging? Smoke cigarettes? Stop. Got a drinking problem. Stop. Poisoning the earth with chemicals? Stop.
It really is that simple.
The problem is, of course, that as long as there is money to be made, some people won't stop of their own volition. Society decides, ultimately, what is acceptable - whether it is the village elders or the elected officials of a post-industrial superpower, the concept is the same.
So get over yourself and start thinking like you live within a society.
"How about you find a way to recycle the Styrofoam"
Yes, the battle cry of industry -- Don't worry, I'm sure someone, somewhere, will figure out how to fix all the things we are doing. Until then, we'll just collect it here in a pool or tailings pond. If it ends up in a landfill, hey, it's not our problem.
We can and do recycle Styrofoam. The reason most recycling centers will not accept it is because it is not cost effective to do so since Styrofoam has such a lower density compared to other recyclables.
Watch out, New Yorkers, he may ban you next!
Troll.
@DRGerrow: How so?
Bloomberg is the progressives' dream - ban, ban ban.
Think he isn't loooking south toward the White House?
no problem, there. we would ban him.
Plastics = good and bad
Stop making plastic products that could be made from natural sources.
Glass is much preferable to plastic for food containers and 100% reusable.
Are you saying that oil is unnatural? Can you imagine the effects of having glass containers served up at fast-food restaurants? Broken shards every where, people injured, deadly assaults, who knows how many lawsuits. Paper is a good thing but cannot totally replace Styrofoam or plastics.
Yeah, I hate going to A&W, everytime they serve me root beer my glass mug shatters. I almost got some in my eye. You'd think after decades of serving root beer this way they'd learn.
I will never understand why we stopped using glass in favor of so much plastic. I know there is a weight advantage, but how much plastic are you really carrying around with you on a daily basis?
I can, quite easily. I go to the pub, I get a pint in a glass. I go to a beer distributor, or get it as a take out, I get beer in bottles. None of the things you mention happen, typically.
Next he will ban having fun.
"No one ever suspects the fun police."
@archeim That's probably next on the list. When I was a kid, on Halloween, the police would pull up on a street and open the trunk of their squad-car and hand out "treats" to all of us kids. That was the closest I have come to "fun police". Unfortunately nowadays the police seem to overly enforce bad law, harassing law-abiding citizens, and enjoying it. Ban bad laws. Vote for reason, It's for the children, If it saves just one person, yadda,yadda,yadda. Ban ,Ban, Ban. Ban us into prosperity.
They already have banned fun. Take a look around.
Plastic is the cocaine of the chemical industry.
Of course the imbeciles make the first posts. We should seek a state that acts in a way that promotes positive values that cannot be reasonably countered. Styrofoam is unnecessary and banning it will make a major difference. I think this is brilliant. Do you really think it is your right to have destructive plastic products. Libertarianism is nonsense.. the state must act to promote the good.
It may be unnecessary to you. But when I purchase takeout, I need my food to stay HOT. Nothing else keeps it hot.
It's called using the microwave when you get home, wryview. God forbid you need to wait a couple extra minutes to stuff your fat face.
First guns, now styrofoam? What's next, Hot Dogs?
Please!, ...Please, Mayor Bloomberg!, ...Run for President!
I think it's a great idea. Anything that can never decompose shoul be banned. They don't even recycle styrofoam .at least not in Florida. Plastic bags should be banned as well.
Styrofoam is recycled.
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience."
-C.S. Lewis
Please ban free speech. As Bloomberg says it may harm you.
clearly a lot of low information people commenting...styrofoam is a terrible disposable item...lousy for the environment and deadly to sea life...i live in nyc and applaud the mayor for this move
Why don't you complain about dumping all your garbage into our oceans? The ocean is not a dump! Wake up, all dumping in the oceans hurts the environment, just not Styrofoam.
It might be easier to just ban Bloomberg. This Napoleon with a god complex has to go... and go... and go. What was once an earnest attempt to make positive changes has degenerated into a joke. Rather, he has become the punch line of jokes here and abroad. Bring back Ed Koch.
Ed Koch is dead.
You people are funny, he wants to ban Styrofoam and your acting like its the end of the world.
And 99% of the complainers don't even live in his city!
DRGerrow-
AND 99% of us are THRILLED that we don't live in that city.
God forbid, DA BMAN, if you lived there, you might see a minority, or run into someone that thinks for themselves!
DA BMAN, if you are thrilled to not live in NYC, then what do you care what goes on there? Seems to be there are plenty of people who are thrilled to live in NYC, I think they will do perfectly fine without you there.
Styrofoam, could be recycled, but no one wants to be bothered doing it. Also recycling it would conserve oil, as plastic is made from oil by-products.
You know that you can recycle it yourself, a little acetone will melt styrofoam into a liquid. Uses for that very. It burns very well, but the fumes, just like styrofoam, are very toxic.
Putting Styrofoam in acetone does not recycle it. It simply breaks up the polystyrene into smaller pieces by removing the air, and the polystyrene molecules are still present in the acetone.
The most environmentally wasteful packaging of all: paying more than a dollar for a disposable bottle of water.
Better yet: get a filter, use a refillable container and fill it with 1/10 cent worth of city water.
@Invisible Hand Great advise, but not plastic, as the chemical leaching has hormonal effects. Insulated metal containers [non-aluminium] are best.