BREAKING: Maryland Bans Harmful Foam Food Containers

ANNAPOLIS, MD -- Today, Maryland became the second state to ban expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam food containers, as Gov. Larry Hogan announced that he would allow to become law a bill that prohibits restaurants, grocery stores, and other food providers from using foam food containers because of their harmful impact on the environment. The law also bans the retail sale of these products.

Often referred to as StyrofoamTM, the lightweight EPS foam food containers are carried by wind and runoff into waterways, where they break into small beads and absorb toxins as they are carried into the Chesapeake Bay and ultimately the oceans. These toxic microplastics, which are impossible to clean up, are mistaken for food by fish and marine mammals, with fatal results.

EPS foam food containers that are not littered enter the waste stream and are not compostable or recyclable in an economically sustainable way, adding to materials that cannot be diverted from the State’s landfills and incinerators. This legislation will help Maryland reach its goal of diverting 85% of waste by reduction, reuse, and recycling by 2040.

Fortunately, there are many widely available and affordable alternatives to foam food containers, many of them manufactured in Maryland. The State’s two largest counties -- Montgomery and Prince George’s -- have already made the transition with no disruption and high compliance rates. Similar local bans in Anne Arundel County, the City of Annapolis and the City of Baltimore are set to go into effect in the next year. The Senate bill (SB285), was sponsored by Sen. Cheryl Kagan, and its sister bill in the House of Delegates (HB109) was sponsored by Del. Brooke Lierman. The ban goes into effect in mid-2020.

In response, Sierra Club Maryland Chapter Director Josh Tulkin released the following statement:

"Maryland’s rivers, waterways, and beaches are too valuable to be polluted by foam food containers and microplastics. We applaud Maryland’s leaders for helping to protect our tourism economy and water by banning foam food containers. Some of our cities and counties have already successfully passed their own bans, and we are pleased to see these protections extended to the entire state.”

Ashley Van Stone, Executive Director of Trash Free Maryland, said:

“Awareness around the growing scope and implications of litter and marine pollution reached a new level in the last year, and it’s significant that Maryland’s elected officials swiftly translated that into action with this legislation. A consistent ban statewide will ensure foam trash is not polluting our waterways and harming our wildlife and communities, and advances the tenor of our work to eliminate litter and waste throughout the state.”

Chuck Porcari, Interim Executive Director of Maryland League of Conservation Voters, said:

"We are pleased that Governor Hogan has allowed this bill to go into law, which is critical to protecting the health of our waterways. The General Assembly in a bipartisan vote, took a bold move at being the first state in the Country to pass such a measure, understanding that we must do everything possible to protect our most precious natural resources.”