Nassau County legislators passed a bill last week to prohibit county businesses from distributing or selling polystyrene foam containers.
The material has been classified as a possible carcinogen and its nonbiodegradable material has led to large quantities of hazardous waste and environmental pollutants.
The legislation was passed 19-0, and County Executive Laura Curran said she will sign it into law.
The ban is to go into effect on Jan. 1, which gives business owners just over six months to deplete their reserves of the containers, known under the trademark Styrofoam, before they will be fined up to $2,500 for their use.
The money from fines will be allocated toward environmental investigation and cleanup of the county.
Many restaurants use Styrofoam for coffee cups and take-out containers and it is also a common packaging material.
“Enough alternative biodegradable food service items are readily available for use, making polystyrene no longer necessary,” said Alternate Deputy Presiding Officer Denise Ford (D-Long Beach).
The bill was sponsored across party lines, with Ford, County Legislator Laura Schaefer (R-Westbury) and Legislator Debra Mule (D-Freeport) backing it.
“I thank Legislators Ford and Schaefer for allowing me to cosponsor this important initiative, and I am hopeful that we will continue to work together to implement environmentally friendly alternatives to other wasteful single-use products that frequently become litter in our communities and our precious waterways,” Mule said in a statement.
Similar legislation has already been passed in New York City and neighboring Suffolk County.
“We’ve heard about the dangers of polystyrene foam for years now, and it’s time we take action,” Schaefer said. “These containers pollute our environment and clog our waterways. Enough is enough.”
