Lawmakers in Illinois have moved to ban a particularly harmful kind of food packaging.
According to an early-August report from Environment+Energy Leader, the Illinois General Assembly has passed Senate Bill 1531, which would ban the sale and distribution of disposable polystyrene foam food service containers in the state beginning in 2030.
The ban addresses items such as drink cups, take-out boxes, and trays, but there are a few exceptions. These include Styrofoam coolers, ice chests used for seafood, egg cartons, and packaging for raw or uncooked meat, poultry, or seafood.
Polystyrene foam — often known by the brand name Styrofoam — is made from styrene, a petroleum product. The packaging is made by compressing and then inflating beads of the material into whatever shape it needs to take, creating cheap, fairly durable storage that can fit a variety of needs.
However, that convenience comes at a price. Apart from increasing our reliance on oil, a known pollutant, polystyrene doesn't break down naturally. It can stay in the environment for hundreds of years, according to Beyond Plastics, breaking into increasingly tiny pieces that can be eaten by animals who mistake it for food and who can be injured or die as a result.
Styrene is also a possible human carcinogen, and the chemicals involved in the creation of the foam packaging can leach into food and beverages, particularly if the contents of the containers are hot, acidic, or high in fat. Coffee or tea, for example, can cause the foam to leach chemicals into the beverage.
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With approval from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, the ban would come with a warning on a first offense, a fine of up to $500 on a second offense, and a fine of up to $1,000 per subsequent offense within a year. It follows similar bills in California, Washington, Oregon, and more that prohibit such containers.
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