NYC Styrofoam Ban Could Cost $100 Million per Year

Date: March 21, 2013

Source: News Room

In response to New York City's proposed ban on Styrofoam food containers, which Mayor Michael Bloomberg says harms the environment and is difficult to recycle, a study was commissioned by the American Chemistry Council that says the ban, if enacted, would cost city businesses, consumers and tax payers nearly $100 million per year by nearly doubling foodservice product costs. The study, by MB Public Affairs, estimates that for every $1 now spent on foam containers, consumers and businesses will have to spend about $1.94 on alternatives. It also claims that local restaurants will see a $57 million increase in costs. The National Center for Public Policy Research, which like other groups including the New York State Restaurant Association has been critical of the proposed ban, calls it "arbitrary and capricious" and says it will actually cause more environmental harm when people opt to use multiple paper cups or bowls to do the job of a single foam container.

See also: "New York Mayor Wants Food Waste Recycling and Ban on Styrofoam," (www.wasteinfo.com/news/wbj20130220J.htm), February 14, 2013.

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