Editing Polystyrene (section)

===Reducing===
{{Main|Phase-out of polystyrene foam}}
Restricting the use of foamed polystyrene takeout food packaging is a priority of many solid waste [[environmental organisation]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.10.001 |pmid=30503422 |title=Reducing marine pollution from single-use plastics (SUPs): A review |journal=Marine Pollution Bulletin |volume=137 |pages=157–171 |year=2018 |last1=Schnurr |first1=Riley E.J. |last2=Alboiu |first2=Vanessa |last3=Chaudhary |first3=Meenakshi |last4=Corbett |first4=Roan A. |last5=Quanz |first5=Meaghan E. |last6=Sankar |first6=Karthikeshwar |last7=Srain |first7=Harveer S. |last8=Thavarajah |first8=Venukasan |last9=Xanthos |first9=Dirk |last10=Walker |first10=Tony R. |bibcode=2018MarPB.137..157S |s2cid=54522420 }}</ref> Efforts have been made to find alternatives to polystyrene, especially foam in restaurant settings. The original impetus was to eliminate [[chlorofluorocarbon]]s (CFC), which was a former component of foam.

====United States====
In 1987, [[Berkeley, California]], banned CFC food containers.<ref>{{cite news|title=Berkeley Barring Use of a Food Container|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/24/us/berkeley-barring-use-of-a-food-container.html?src=pm|access-date=23 December 2012|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=24 September 1987|agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref> The following year, [[Suffolk County, New York]], became the first U.S. jurisdiction to ban polystyrene in general.<ref>{{cite news|title=Suffolk Votes A Bill to Ban Plastic Bags|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/30/nyregion/suffolk-votes-a-bill-to-ban-plastic-bags.html|access-date=23 December 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=30 March 1988}}</ref> However, legal challenges by the [[Society of the Plastics Industry]]<ref>{{cite news|last=Hevesi|first=Dennis|title=Ban on Plastics in Suffolk Is Overturned|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/04/nyregion/ban-on-plastics-in-suffolk-is-overturned.html?src=pm|access-date=23 December 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=4 March 1990}}</ref> kept the ban from going into effect until at last it was delayed when the Republican and Conservative parties gained the majority of the county legislature.<ref>{{cite news|last=Barbanel|first=Josh|title=Vote Blocks Plastics Ban For Suffolk|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/04/nyregion/vote-blocks-plastics-ban-for-suffolk.html|access-date=23 December 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=4 March 1992}}</ref> In the meantime, Berkeley became the first city to ban all foam food containers.<ref name="berkeley-1988"/> As of 2006, about one hundred localities in the United States, including [[Portland, Oregon]], and [[San Francisco]] had some sort of ban on polystyrene foam in restaurants. For instance, in 2007 [[Oakland, California]], required restaurants to switch to disposable food containers that would biodegrade if added to food compost.<ref>{{cite news|title=Styrofoam food packaging banned in Oakland|url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Styrofoam-food-packaging-banned-in-Oakland-2516522.php|access-date=23 December 2012|newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|date=28 June 2006|author=Herron Zamora, Jim }}</ref> In 2013, [[San Jose, California|San Jose]] became reportedly the largest city in the country to ban polystyrene foam food containers.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sanchez|first=Kris|title=San Jose Approves Styrofoam Ban|url=http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/San-Jose-Set-to-Ban-Styrofoam-221354051.html|publisher=[[NBC]]|access-date=30 August 2013|date=27 August 2013}}</ref> Some communities have implemented wide polystyrene bans, such as [[Freeport, Maine]], which did so in 1990.<ref>{{cite web|title=CHAPTER 33 STYROFOAM ORDINANCE|url=http://www.freeportmaine.com/inc/scripts/file.php?file_id=1060|website=Ordinances|publisher=Town of Freeport, Maine|access-date=23 December 2012|archive-date=29 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329123453/http://freeportmaine.com/inc/scripts/file.php?file_id=1060|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1988, the first U.S. ban of general polystyrene foam was enacted in Berkeley, California.<ref name="berkeley-1988">{{cite news|title=Berkeley Widens Ban on Foam Food Containers|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-06-16-mn-6881-story.html|access-date=23 December 2012|newspaper=The Los Angeles Times|date=16 June 1988}}</ref>

On 1 July 2015, [[New York City]] became the largest city in the United States to attempt to prohibit the sale, possession, and distribution of [[disposable product|single-use]] polystyrene foam (the initial decision was overturned on appeal).<ref>{{cite web |author=Tony Dokoupil |url=http://www.msnbc.com/new-york-city-foam-ban-overturned |title=msnbc.com |publisher=msnbc.com |date=2015-09-22 |access-date=2019-01-17 |archive-date=29 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729015731/http://www.msnbc.com/new-york-city-foam-ban-overturned |url-status=dead }}</ref> In San Francisco, supervisors approved the toughest ban on "Styrofoam" (EPS) in the US which went into effect 1 January 2017. The city's Department of the Environment can make exceptions for certain uses like shipping medicines at prescribed temperatures.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/City-OKs-ban-on-Styrofoam-Jane-Kim-wants-to-play-8332796.php| title=S.F. supervisors OK toughest ban on foam packaging in U.S|access-date=2016-06-30| date=2016-06-30}}</ref>

The U.S. [[Green Restaurant Association]] does not allow polystyrene foam to be used as part of its certification standard.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.dinegreen.com/disposables-standard | title=Disposables Standard | publisher=Green Restaurant Association | access-date=14 December 2016}}</ref> Several green leaders, including the [[Ministry of the Environment|Dutch Ministry of the Environment]], advise people to reduce their environmental harm by using reusable coffee cups.<ref>{{cite news|author=Dineen, Shauna|title=The Throwaway Generation: 25 Billion Styrofoam Cups a Year|publisher=E-The Environmental Magazine|date=Nov–Dec 2005|url=http://www.emagazine.com/view/?2933|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061112142759/http://www.emagazine.com/view/?2933|url-status=dead|archive-date=2006-11-12}}</ref>

In March 2019, Maryland banned polystyrene foam food containers and became the first state in the country to pass a food container foam ban through the state legislature. Maine was the first state to officially get a foam food container ban onto the books.  In May 2019, Maryland Governor Hogan allowed the foam ban (House Bill 109) to become law without a signature making Maryland the second state to have a food container foam ban on the books, but is the first one to take effect on 1 July 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.bloombergenvironment.com/environment-and-energy/maryland-foam-packaging-ban-energy-bills-to-become-law|title=Maryland Foam Packaging Ban, Energy Bills to Become Law|last=Andrew M. Ballard|website=news.bloombergenvironment.com|language=en|access-date=2019-06-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://environmentamerica.org/news/ame/statement-maryland-becomes-second-state-ban-plastic-foam-containers|title=Statement: Maryland becomes the second state to ban plastic foam containers|website=environmentamerica.org|language=en|access-date=2019-06-20|archive-date=11 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711024041/https://environmentamerica.org/news/ame/statement-maryland-becomes-second-state-ban-plastic-foam-containers|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-hogan-bill-list-20190524-story.html|title=Maryland's new laws: banning foam food containers, raising tobacco-buying age, reforming UMMS board|last=The Sun|first=Baltimore|website=baltimoresun.com|date=24 May 2019 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mdlcv.org/2019-foam-ban|title=2019 Foam Ban|date=2019-05-30|website=Maryland League of Conservation Voters|language=en|access-date=2019-06-20|archive-date=20 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620002002/http://www.mdlcv.org/2019-foam-ban|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In September 2020, the New Jersey state legislature voted to ban disposable [[foam food container]]s and cups made of polystyrene foam.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zaveri |first1=Mihir |title=Even Paper Bags Will Be Banned From N.J. Supermarkets |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/25/nyregion/nj-paper-plastic-bag-ban.html |access-date=22 November 2020 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=25 September 2020}}</ref>

====Outside the United States====
[[File:火気厳禁 禁煙 (3715967341).jpg|thumb|Expanded polystyrene waste in Japan]]
[[China]] banned expanded polystyrene takeout/takeaway containers and tableware around 1999. However, compliance has been a problem and, in 2013, the Chinese plastics industry was lobbying for the ban's repeal.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Ying Sun, Nina  |author2=Toloken, Steve  |name-list-style=amp |title=China moves to end its 'ban' on PS food packaging|url=http://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20130321/NEWS/130329979/china-moves-to-end-its-ban-on-ps-food-packaging|website=Plastics News|access-date=10 June 2013|date=21 March 2013}}</ref>

[[India]] and [[Taiwan]] also banned polystyrene-foam food-service ware before 2007.<ref>{{cite web|last=Quan|first=Jean|title=letter to Public Works Committee|url=http://clerkwebsvr1.oaklandnet.com/attachments/13659.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061023152054/http://clerkwebsvr1.oaklandnet.com/attachments/13659.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 October 2006|access-date=26 January 2014|date=13 June 2006}}</ref>

The government of [[Zimbabwe]], through its Environmental Management Agency (EMA), banned polystyrene containers (popularly called 'kaylite' in the country), under Statutory Instrument 84 of 2012 (Plastic Packaging and Plastic Bottles) (Amendment) Regulations, 2012 (No 1.)
<ref>{{cite web|title=Government bans kaylite packaging|url=http://www.herald.co.zw/government-bans-kaylite-packaging-%e2%80%a2health-considerations-cited-%e2%80%a2defiant-citizens-face-prosecution/|work=The Herald|date=13 July 2017 |access-date=13 July 2017}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite web|title=Expanded polystyrene (kaylite): What are its impacts?|url=http://www.herald.co.zw/expanded-polystyrene-kaylite-what-are-its-impacts/|work=The Herald|date=12 July 2017 |access-date=13 July 2017}}</ref>

The city of [[Vancouver]], Canada, has announced its Zero Waste 2040 plan in 2018. The city will introduce bylaw amendments to prohibit business license holders from serving prepared food in polystyrene foam cups and take-out containers, beginning 1 June 2019.<ref>''[http://vancouver.ca/green-vancouver/single-use-items.aspx Single-Use Item Reduction Strategy, Zero Waste 2040]'' City of Vancouver, 2018</ref>

In 2019, the European Union voted to ban expanded polystyrene food packaging and cups, with the law officially going into effect in 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pyzyk |first1=Katie |title=European Parliament approves 2021 single-use plastics ban |url=https://www.wastedive.com/news/european-parliament-approves-2021-single-use-plastics-ban/551552/ |access-date=6 January 2022 |work=Waste Dive |date=March 29, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Directive (EU) 2019/904 |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32019L0904&from=EN |website=Official Journal of the European Union |access-date=6 January 2022}}</ref>

[[Fiji]] passed the Environmental Management Bill in December 2020. Imports of polystyrene products were banned in January 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Grace period for polystyrene products|url=https://www.fbcnews.com.fj/news/grace-period-for-polystyrene-products/|access-date=2020-12-12|website=Fiji Broadcasting Corporation}}</ref>