Boston city councilors and local Girl Scout troop propose Styrofoam ban
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Two members of the troop, Eleanor Pelletier, 18, and Calida Beliveau, 19, testified at the hearing.
City councilors and those testifying at Wednesday's hearing at city hall, left to right: Gabriella Coletta Zapata, Calida Beliveau, Eleanor Pelletier, Christen Dellorco, Ruthzee Louijeune.
Sierra Rothberg
'It's also a lot about convenience. It's easy to just throw away Styrofoam rather than bring it to a big [recycling] place. The best thing for the city to do is make it convenient for people so then more people will do it,' Beliveau said.
Beliveau, Pelletier and other troop members felt that Bostonians needed to know more about the impacts of Styrofoam, which led them to proposing the ban to city councilors.
'A lot of people in Boston want to recycle and want to do the right things... I feel like the people of Boston are ready for it, they just need the resources,' Pelletier said.
Louijeune testified the ban would help the city achieve the goals of
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'The city of Boston has already made strong commitments to reducing our footprint... However, a significant barrier remains in the presence of polystyrene,' said Louijeune. 'It is not accepted by curbside recycling, persists in landfills for centuries and poses serious environmental and public health risks.'
Polystyrene is most commonly seen in food packaging, such as takeout containers or cups. Styrene, a chemical used to create polystyrene, is known to damage the central nervous system and the upper respiratory tract, and may be a cause for cancer, according to the
Coletta-Zapata urged prompt action to improve the environment and public health in neighborhoods.
'I can foresee that areas that are low income and historically Black and brown communities that we would see that trash and litter of this sort of product is more prevalent,' Coletta Zapata said. 'It underscores the urgency that the city of Boston should take in trying to meet our zero-waste goals. We are behind the curve on this.'
Several Massachusetts communities have already banned polystyrene, including Cambridge, Melrose and Newton.
One environmentalist thinks the Boston ban would be a good thing, but would rather see a statewide ban on polystyrene.
'Boston has an opportunity to be a leader in reducing the production and use of single-use polystyrene foam products,' said Nancy Downes, the Massachusetts campaign manager for Oceana, an international conservation group, who did not attend at the council hearing.
But she she spoke at the State House during a legislative hearing on Tuesday to have a polystyrene ban included in the
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Boston's proposed ban would be beneficial as it would 'be protecting the residents . . . and the environment,' she said in an interview.
Boston's public hearing is the first step toward enacting a ban in the city. A majority of the 13-member council would have to approve the ordinance. Mayor Michelle Wu would then have to sign it for it to become law in Boston.
This process could take up to a few months, Coletta Zapata said.
During the hearing, councilors and others testified about the impact that a ban may have on lower-income communities, both environmentally and financially.
'The burden of pollution falls hardest on low income and environmental justice communities, where landfills and incinerators are disproportionately located and where low-cost, toxic packaging is frequently used,' said Alice Brown, director of environmental quality from the city's environmental department.
Donald Wright, deputy chief of staff for economic opportunity and inclusion for Wu, cautioned that polystyrene ban could pose a challenge for small businesses.
Many have a well-established supply chain, making the switch to eco-friendly materials more difficult, he noted.
Katarina Schmeiszer can be reached at
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