City Council Ban on Polystyrene Foam Strongly Denounced

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The results of a survey conducted among Vancouver City residents shows that the City’s decision to ban polystyrene foam for food packaging has been highly unpopular with them. Only 26% supported the ban, whereas a good majority of residents prefer the packaging to be picked up at curbside for recycling. The survey suggests high awareness among residents on the recyclability of PS foam packaging products. By imposing a ban, the City Council has urged foodservice sector to switch to paper alternatives for food packaging.

The support for the proposed ban dropped substantially between pre-test and the third and final test. The support for the ban dropped from 69% to 26% during this period. Also the percentage of residents who strongly support the ban declined from 46% to 9%. The significant drop in support clearly indicates that the rigorous campaigns to educate public about recyclability features of EPS foam products has yielded results, thereby making them arrive at the decision that a ban in unnecessary under current circumstances.

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The Vancouver City residents demanded greater access to recycling, with 73% supporting the idea of City introducing curbside recycling for all polystyrene foam cups and containers. 80% stressed the need for more aggressive public education campaigns. Also, 78% residents highlighted the need to start recycling all polystyrene foam food packaging by using the latest de-polymerization technology which helps to break down the molecules of polystyrene to their original virgin state.

The plastics industry has warned that the Council is moving in a completely wrong direction. Calling for immediate review on the ban, the Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA) noted that the ban could lead to triple-digit surge in the amount of paper waste going to the landfills. A recently conducted Life Cycle Analysis Study by CPIA had ruled out plastic bag ban in Canada.