L.A. County restricts us of polystyrene in county buildings
September 27th, 2010 | 
Author: L.A. County restricts use of foam food containers in county buildings and concessions
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to restrict the use of foam food containers at most county buildings and concessions.
The action against foam food containers, or expanded polystyrene containers, was seen as a victory for environmental groups but was protested by manufacturers who warned it could cost local jobs.
The vote came as officials study a far more sweeping ban of the material. The supervisors have asked for more information about possibly banning the containers – essentially plastic that is puffed up into a white, solid foam – in private restaurants and retail establishments in unincorporated areas of the county, over which they have jurisdiction.
“We are hoping to provide leadership. This is a large county taking a very bold step,” Supervisor Gloria Molina said.
Foam food containers and cups have long been a target of environmental groups. The material does not easily degrade, can last hundreds of years, and can be eaten by birds and sea mammals, causing their deaths, according to the environmental group Heal the Bay, based in Santa Monica.
According to the California Integrated Waste Management Board, 56,000 tons of foam food containers and packaging, equivalent to the volume of eight Empire State buildings, enter the California marketplace every year. Food containers are often easily blown into the storm drain system, according to the Department of Public Works.
“Plastics in the ocean is a huge problem. It never breaks down. It just turns into smaller and smaller particles,” Angela Howe, managing attorney for the nonprofit ocean advocacy group Surfrider Foundation, based in San Clemente, said in an interview.
Howe cited estimates by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that ingested ocean plastics kill 1 million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals a year.
Other California cities banning foam food containers include Alameda, Berkeley, Calabasas, Carmel, Emeryville, Fairfax, Hercules, Laguna Beach, Malibu, Marin, Monterey, Newport Beach, Oakland, Palo Alto, Richmond, San Bruno, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Santa Monica and West Hollywood, according to Surfrider.
Howe called the county’s action heartening, particularly because the California state Senate last month failed to approve legislation banning plastic grocery bags.
Full Article: http://lat.ms/aAyCsJ
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