Fresh details have emerged about the push by plastics players to halt a proposed ban on foodservice EPS containers in New York City.
An article in The New York Times on Dec. 8 helped bring the foam fight further into the consciousness of New York’s masses and noted that the City Council will likely vote on the legislation by the end of this year. The story also points out Dart Containers has spent $120,000 lobbying against the ban proposal, which has been amended to give manufacturers time to study the possibility of recycling the material.
The American Chemistry Council, meanwhile, has spent $800,000 to fund the Restaurant Action Alliance, a group of local restaurant owners that oppose a possible EPS ban and have been fighting the proposal since this summer.
The Times story notes that in the days before last week’s hearing on the proposal officials added the amendment, which would give Dart until Jan. 15, 2015 to demonstrate the feasibility of recycling EPS products used for foodservice. The proposal indicates that if the company cannot make a strong recycling case, the ban would go into effect in July 2015.
Dart reportedly objects to the amended proposal, and the manufacturer recently offered to pay the municipality $160 per ton of EPS material collected.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who began pushing for the ban in February, is hoping to pass legislation before incoming Mayor Bill de Blasio takes office in January. De Blasio has also recently voiced his support for an EPS ban.
