Should Foam Beverage, Food Containers be Banned?
Residents in Brookline supported a move to ban the use of all foam food and beverage containers, a move that was approved at Special Town Meeting.
One group of residents in the Bay State has taken a stand against the use of plastic foam food and beverage containers at local restaurants.
At a recent Special Town Meeting in Brookline voted to ban the use of polystyrene (plastic foam) food and beverage containers for take-out or to-go at food establishments in town. The ban will go into effect on Dec. 1, 2013.
The move came after Town Meeting member Nancy Heller proposed the article due to the health risks involved in the use of the cups. As a result, the move was approved by a vote of 169-27.
But not everyone was in favor of the move. Canton-based Dunkin Donuts spoke against the measure on Tuesday; spokesperson Christine Riley said that, despite looking, the company has not found a better alternative to the foam cups to keep coffee warm.
Meanwhile, some petitions have cropped up, such as on Change.org, calling on Dunkin Donuts to cease use of the cups, citing hazards to the environment. Last year, the company said it was looking at alternatives to the material and also weighing the possibility of an in-store recycling program, according to a WHDH report.
But what do you think? Should Brookline's move be followed by other communities in the Commonwealth? Or should establishments be allowed to use the material for food and beverage containers? Let us know by posting a comment in the comments section below.
Susanne Guirakhoo
11:51 am on Monday, November 19, 2012
I would love to see establishments using an alternative to styrofoam containers. Styrofoam does not decompose at all, and it is very difficult and expensive to recycle.
There are alternatives like Bagasse, which is made from sugar cane fibers, or other products manufactured from corn or potato starch.
Dunkin's argument that only styrofoam keeps coffee hot is not true; most coffee places use paper cups and they work just fine.
Josh Chace
12:15 pm on Monday, November 19, 2012
No. Stop using government regulation to force companies to do something that they should have a choice to use. It's disgusting especially because every summer, you've got people asking for "an extra cold cup" to keep their precious ice coffee's from sweating, but clearly it's Dunkin Donuts' fault for being an evil conglomerate. Alternative packages are inferior for storing food and typically become rancid quicker. How about instead of forcing companies NOT to use something, you put some effort into finding creative ways to recycle or reuse the product post-consumption.