Foam ban, the time to find new and better solutions is now

Since the late 20th century, there has been a global movement toward the phase-out of polystyrene foam. Full or partial bans on expanded polystyrene foam have been enacted nationwide in many countries around the world.

Why? We could name various reasons, but the main one is YOU.

Yes, polystyrene foam is non-recyclable or biodegradable, which makes it really bad for the environment, and anything bad for the environment is bad for you. We only have one planet and if we don’t care about it, where will we live? What will we eat?

1. As of 2021, these U.S. states have passed legislation to ban polystyrene foam:
2. Maryland was the first state to institute a ban which went into effect on October 1st, 2020.
3. In Maine, a ban on polystyrene foam went into effect on July 1st, 2021.
4. Vermont passed a ban on polystyrene in 2019, which went into full effect on July 1st, 2021.
5. New York’s ban will go into effect on January 1st, 2022.
6. New Jersey’s ban on polystyrene foam was passed in 2020 and will go into effect on May 4th, 2022.
7. Colorado’s ban on polystyrene foam was passed in 2021, with the ban going into effect on January 1st, 2024.
8. Virginia’s ban on polystyrene foam takeout containers was passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 2021 and will go into effect for large businesses by July 2023 and for small businesses by July 2025.

And what is all of this supposed to mean? That the world is finally catching up. That there’s is a chance.

More and more companies are rethinking their packaging. More and more consumers want better solutions at a low environmental cost. We will find better paths and create a better world, we just have to work together and go by it, one goal (or state at a time).

The time to find better solutions is NOW.