In D.C., restaurants and other food service places
must replace non-biodegradable polystyrene
with recyclable, compostable materials.
Photo credit: Douglas P Perkins via Wikimedia Commons
Transcript of the Audio Podcast:
The home of our White House gets greener… on this CurrentCast.
The Anacostia River winds its way through America’s capitol city, but it’s so polluted it was dubbed the forgotten river. One major pollutant: polystyrene, also known as Styrofoam. Polystyrene does not biodegrade for millennia and is toxic to marine life.
In July, DC officials voted to ban polystyrenes, which account for about twenty-four percent of the pollution in Anacostia tributaries. The ban requires food services to replace take-out cups and plates with recyclable, compostable materials, in three years.
D.C. Council Member Mary Cheh:
Cheh: “We are working on all fronts to make our city the most environmentally sustainable jurisdiction that we can make it.”
Support for CurrentCast comes from the Mitsubishi Corporation Foundation for the Americas. Learn more online at CurrentCast.org
Learn More:
- “D.C. Bans Polystyrene Foam Food Containers” from Clean Water Action
- “Washington goes green and bans plastic foam containers” from The Guardian
- “Polysytrene Fast Facts” from Harvard University
