After many determined efforts, Maryland has officially declared a ban on styrofoam packaging for restaurants and schools, which is set to go into effect on Oct. 1.
The plastics are petroleum-based non-biodegradable, as it takes over 500 years to decompose. Styrofoam has proven to negatively harm any surrounding wildlife, human health and bodies of water; and the economy is no exception.
While several other Maryland counties have already enforced the ban on foam containers, this recent legislation, once in effect, will be much stricter, in hopes of implementing long term environmental policy reform.
The bill was proposed twice by Democratic Delegate Brooke Lierman before finally passing in the General Assembly in 2019.
“There’s really a steadily growing awareness of the real and present harm to the single-use plastics cause,” Lierman said. “Businesses and Marylanders are even more alarmed by this, and really looking to the government to come up with solutions for this waste.”
Despite the positive support for the cause, many are still torn on the law. According to the Baltimore Sun, many environmentalists are very optimistic that the law will allow the natural environment to heal, at a time where the effects of climate change will soon become irreversible.
While styrofoam's environmentally alternative plastic will end up in the same landfills and float among the same oceanic wildlife, experts still believe it is better than the toxic foam.
However, according to CNN, the American Chemistry Council is in opposition of the law, claiming that the packaging is not only essential to many food service industries, but it is also the environmentally friendlier option when looking to reduce food waste.
Regardless of the split opinions, Maryland is optimistic that the legislation will encourage more states to adopt similar bans in order to reduce their carbon footprint. Our home has been treated poorly for too long, and we must continue to implement creative and timely solutions, before we are unable to save our planet.
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2 comments:
I think it's really amazing Maryland has taken such direct action towards combatting climate change/waste production. While I don't know much about the effect of styrofoam specifically, I do know that state powers are not doing nearly enough to reduce our environmental impact. Moreover, even if reducing styrofoam doesn't make much of an impact physically (as other single-use plastics may be just as bad), the overall fact that their government made this move will hopefully inspire other states to do the same. It's important we don't take what we have on Earth for granted, so I think any effort to go greener is a good one. One question I still have, though, is: have they enforced any stricter rules when it comes to single-use plastics in general?
I believe that other states should definitely consider doing something similar to reduce the amount of waste that the US creates, as we are one of the top countries that emits the most carbon emissions per capita in the world. Reducing styrofoam waste is not only a wonderful change that will immediately help with combatting the production of waste but it also a great start to showing how other states can work together to possibly reverse climate change which is crucial for wildlife and the wellbeing of our planet. I wonder why the American Chemistry Council stated that the styrofoam packaging is essential to many foodservice industries. Is it that difficult to change their packaging to either biodegradable paper containers or at least recyclable containers? Not sure if it's because more eco-friendly packaging costs more, or if it's a process issue.
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