California is the first to ban foam lunch boxes

California is the first to ban foam lunch boxes (Alberta Times) The California Senate has introduced a bill that would ban restaurants and stores from using Styrofoam, and...

California is the first to ban foam lunch boxes (Alberta Times) The California Senate has proposed a bill that would ban restaurants and stores from using Styrofoam (also known as styrofoam) lunch boxes to package food. It will be implemented in 2016. More than 50 counties and cities across the state have enacted bans. If the proposal is signed into state law, California will be the first in the country to ban food containers that can pollute the environment. However, the bill stipulates that if school districts and cities and counties across the state adopt environmental protection measures and the recycling rate of Styrofoam lunch boxes exceeds 60%, they can still be used. State Democratic Senator Lou Vince, who proposed the legislation, said that discarded Styrofoam lunch boxes are one of the most common types of garbage in urban streets, sewers and beaches. "Styrofoam lunch boxes cannot be biodegraded and turned into fertilizers. If soaked in water for a long time, they will break down into particles that can last for thousands of years. It costs millions to clean up at the beach." San Francisco banned Styrofoam lunch boxes in 2007 to emphasize environmental protection. Restaurant owner Honeycutt said that his restaurant has been using Styrofoam lunch boxes to package take-out food, and the ban on Styrofoam lunch boxes across the country has made restaurants that are already operating on thin margins even worse. Opponents say that the proposal does not address the fundamental reason why lunch boxes are thrown away everywhere. It is the behavior of people who are not environmentally aware. They will just throw away whether it is Styrofoam or biodegradable cartons. "They don't care what material the packaging boxes are made of," said Westerfeld, recycling director at Dart Container. As one of the two manufacturers of Styrofoam products, Dart employs about 600 people in California. The California Chamber of Commerce believes that Lowes' proposal will not only threaten manufacturing jobs but also increase the cost of restaurants. The Department of Health and Welfare reported in June this year that there is reason to believe that styrene, the chemical component of Styrofoam, is a carcinogen. However, experts from the federal department said that the possibility of styrene being released is very low and the probability of causing cancer is not worthy of concern.