WASHINGTON — D.C.’s done it.
Montgomery County’s done it.
And Prince George’s County is considering doing it too: banning polystyrene — the stuff most people know as Styrofoam.
D.C. and Montgomery County’s bans on polystyrene products will take effect in January of 2016.
Under the Prince George’s County proposal, one provision of the law would take effect in 2017. If enacted, the Prince George’s legislation calls for:
- A proposed date for regulations as July 1, 2015
- A proposed effective date for polystyrene ban as Jan. 1, 2016
- A proposed effective date for recyclable/compostable food service ware requirement as Jan. 1, 2017
Julie Lawson, with Trash Free Maryland says polystyrene foam poses a number of problems in area waterways. Once it gets in the water, she says it breaks into tiny pieces and can’t be caught in trash traps in the water.
Not only that, says Lawson,“it’s absorbing toxic chemicals that are also in the water, like pesticides and fertilizer. And it’s also mistaken for food by fish, so we’re contaminating our food chain”.
Anacostia River keeper Mike Bolinder says because polystyrene is so light, it’s often referred to as being a small part of the trash found in waterways. While that may be true in terms of weight consider (for example a 47 pound tire pulled from a creek versus a Styrofoam container), Bolinder says their bulk and manner of breaking up into tiny particles makes Styrofoam containers a big part of the problem when it comes to trash in waterways.
“It’s probably the second most volumous trash” found in many stream clean-up efforts, like one Bolinder organized this week in Lower Beaver Dam Creek in Cheverly.
The Prince George’s County Council is expected to act on the proposed ban this month.
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report.
