Latest news with #Styrofoam
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Red-state governor shoots down bill banning this common hospitality industry item
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte vetoed legislation that would largely ban Styrofoam containers, dubbing it "textbook government overreach." House Bill 477 would phase out the use of the containers by 2030, but starting in 2028 for restaurants and the hospitality industry. Introduced by Democrat state Rep. Marilyn Marler, the legislation garnered some bipartisan support in the Republican-majority legislature. Watch: Red State Gov Urges Firearms Makers To Ditch Colorado Amid Its Anti-gun Push "Our state should remain a sanctuary for freedom and free enterprise, and let high taxes, high spending, and hyper-regulation remain a feature of deep blue, progressive states," the Republican wrote in his veto letter, citing how various blue states like California and Washington have imposed similar regulations. "Frankly, I was surprised to receive House Bill 477 which dictates to restaurants, food establishments, bakeries, resorts, hotels, and others what they can and can't use to package food and drinks," he continued. Proponents of the legislation argued that the material poses a health and environmental risk, and many places have already stopped using Styrofoam, according to KTVQ. Read On The Fox News App Cutting The 'Green Tape': Conservation Group Offers Top 10 Ways For Dept Of Interior To Streamline Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte The bill stated that polystyrene foam "is a material that causes environmental harm and poses a threat to fish and wildlife; and whereas, styrofoam takes up space in landfills and contributes to the need for costly expansions borne by taxpayers; and whereas, styrofoam threatens the right of each Montanan to a clean and healthful environment." The proposal included a few exceptions but would require an application for using the foam as it relates to "transportation; construction; health; or safety." "Finally, if policymakers are trying to get rid of Styrofoam, which I'm not, why only target restaurants and food-service establishments? Why not packaging supplies? Though I'm not advocating such an approach, targeting one industry that uses Styrofoam and not another seems inconsistent with the purported purpose of House Bill 477," the governor wrote. Gop Governor Rallies Around Historic Proposal To Slash State's Income Tax: 'I Am Optimistic' "The state banning Styrofoam is costly government overreach," Gianforte said, saying it would cost taxpayers an estimated $300,000 through a new Montana Department of Environmental Quality program and could create additional costs for consumers if businesses are forced to make the switch. "I enjoy hot coffee in a Styrofoam cup because it keeps it hot. And this bill is a hot mess," he said in a video posted to X on Monday. Original article source: Red-state governor shoots down bill banning this common hospitality industry item
Fox News
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Red state governor shoots down bill banning this common hospitality industry item
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte vetoed legislation that would largely ban Styrofoam containers, dubbing it "textbook government overreach." House Bill 477 would phase out the use of the containers by 2030, but starting in 2028 for restaurants and the hospitality industry. Introduced by Democrat state Rep. Marilyn Marler, the legislation garnered some bipartisan support in the Republican-majority legislature. WATCH: RED STATE GOV URGES FIREARMS MAKERS TO DITCH COLORADO AMID ITS ANTI-GUN PUSH "Our state should remain a sanctuary for freedom and free enterprise, and let high taxes, high spending, and hyper-regulation remain a feature of deep blue, progressive states," the Republican wrote in his veto letter, citing how various blue states like California and Washington have imposed similar regulations. "Frankly, I was surprised to receive House Bill 477 which dictates to restaurants, food establishments, bakeries, resorts, hotels, and others what they can and can't use to package food and drinks," he continued. Proponents of the legislation argued that the material poses a health and environmental risk, and many places have already stopped using Styrofoam, according to KTVQ. CUTTING THE 'GREEN TAPE': CONSERVATION GROUP OFFERS TOP 10 WAYS FOR DEPT OF INTERIOR TO STREAMLINE The bill stated that polystyrene foam "is a material that causes environmental harm and poses a threat to fish and wildlife; and whereas, styrofoam takes up space in landfills and contributes to the need for costly expansions borne by taxpayers; and whereas, styrofoam threatens the right of each Montanan to a clean and healthful environment." The proposal included a few exceptions but would require an application for using the foam as it relates to "transportation; construction; health; or safety." "Finally, if policymakers are trying to get rid of Styrofoam, which I'm not, why only target restaurants and food-service establishments? Why not packaging supplies? Though I'm not advocating such an approach, targeting one industry that uses Styrofoam and not another seems inconsistent with the purported purpose of House Bill 477," the governor wrote. GOP GOVERNOR RALLIES AROUND HISTORIC PROPOSAL TO SLASH STATE'S INCOME TAX: 'I AM OPTIMISTIC' "The state banning Styrofoam is costly government overreach," Gianforte said, saying it would cost taxpayers an estimated $300,000 through a new Montana Department of Environmental Quality program and could create additional costs for consumers if businesses are forced to make the switch. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "I enjoy hot coffee in a Styrofoam cup because it keeps it hot. And this bill is a hot mess," he said in a video posted to X on Monday.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
After years of negotiations, Illinois lawmakers consider measures to phase out plastic bags, foam food containers
CHICAGO — After more than a decade of negotiations and failed efforts to reduce the use of plastics, Illinois lawmakers are considering legislation that would prohibit large retailers from offering single-use plastic bags and ban the use of most polystyrene containers in the state over the next four to five years. Advocates, citing the threat of rising plastic waste to human and environmental health, say the timing for the bills is ripe given rising health concerns about microplastics and the passage of similar legislation in states like New Jersey and California. Retailers also support the measures, calling the requirements balanced and flexible, according to a statement from the Illinois Retail Merchants Association. But at the same time, President Donald Trump's administration is moving in an opposite direction, with Trump declaring America is going 'back to plastic' by reversing federal restrictions on plastic drinking straws and dismantling departments that regulate plastic pollution. In addition, some labor unions, including the Illinois Pipe Trades Association and AFL-CIO, oppose the move to do away with foam food containers. Manufacturers have expressed concerns the measures could lead to thousands of layoffs if the facilities that make the banned products are forced to shut down as their in-state customer base disappears. Two bills are awaiting a vote in the state Senate. One measure would use financial penalties under the jurisdiction of the attorney general and local state's attorney offices to restrict the sale or distribution of disposable containers made of polystyrene — known by the brand name Styrofoam — with the exception of egg cartons, starting in January 2030. The other bill would prohibit retailers with more than a dozen stores from offering or making available single-use checkout bags by January 2029. State Sen. Laura Fine, a Democrat from Glenview who's sponsoring the foam container bill, said there are alternatives to polystyrene and plastic bags and that the measures are necessary 'to get the bad products off the market so we could have a cleaner environment and help our kids.' Environmental advocates widely agree there's an unhealthy proliferation of plastic waste and that plastic bags and polystyrene are the 'worst of the worst,' partly because of how long these products take to decompose, said Emily Kowalski, outreach engagement manager with Environment Illinois. She noted about 22 million pounds of plastics enter the Great Lakes every year, according to 2022 estimates from the Rochester Institute of Technology. 'Nothing we use for just a few minutes should be allowed to pollute our water and environment for hundreds of years,' Kowalski said. Volunteers with the Alliance for the Great Lakes have collected more than 10 million pieces of litter in the past 20 years at beaches of the five Great Lakes, 86% of it partially or fully plastic, according to Andrea Densham, senior policy adviser with the environmental organization. Polystyrene foam pieces were the third most common litter item that volunteers found over the years. Densham said this is a threat to drinking water and the lakes, citing that the Great Lakes hold 20% of the world's fresh water and provide drinking water for over 40 million people. According to a 2024 study in the research publication Frontiers, continued exposure to microplastics through ingestion and inhalation can lead to inflammation, gastrointestinal disorders and chronic diseases. There have been previous efforts to reduce plastic in the state, such as Chicago's tax on plastic bags that increased from 7 cents to 10 cents per bag in January 2025 and a 2023 state law banning foam foodware at state facilities that went into effect this January. Advocates say these initiatives haven't been entirely effective. 'I've seen there's still foam in the Stratton cafeteria, so I would like to see the state leading by example,' said Jack Darin, director of the Illinois Sierra Club chapter, referring to a state government office building in Springfield that was required to stop procuring foam, or polystyrene, for use by January 2025 under the 2023 law. Sen. Cristina Castro's bill to ban plastic bags contains a provision that would eliminate municipal taxes on plastic bags by 2029, including Chicago's, which at 7 cents a bag in 2023 generated more than $17 million. Castro, of Elgin, said municipalities have not been using the extra cash to support sustainable initiatives, as was intended by advocates. An outright ban, instead of a tax, would be more successful in limiting plastic waste, Castro said. 'Instead of using the money for sustainability programs, a lot of them (municipalities) have used it for filling the coffers or plugging some other hole, which has frustrated a lot of the environmentalists, activists, who have said, 'Hey, that was supposed to help with recycling and things like that,'' said Castro. The Illinois Municipal League opposes the bill because of the provision dropping the bag tax, which it argues preempts local regulatory authority, the group's CEO, Brad Cole, said. Manufacturers and the unions take issue with Fine's foam foodware bill, arguing the measure would only shift consumers to use another type of plastic and cause significant job losses at polystyrene manufacturing plants. While the bills do not ban the production of polystyrene, Donovan Griffith, vice president for government affairs for the Illinois Manufacturers Association, said a loss of in-state customers holds a 'real potential for job losses.' Keith Clark, CEO of Dart Container, a polystyrene manufacturing company that employs more than 1,400 people in Illinois at facilities in Chicago, North Aurora and Country Club Hills, told the Tribune that the legislation, if passed, would 'certainly require us to reassess our Illinois operations in the coming years.' Brad Laporte, CEO of WinCup, a polystyrene manufacturer with two facilities outside of Chicago, said he worked with Illinois lawmakers to get the ban deadline extended to 2030 but still opposes it, saying the measure could even ban the company's new biodegradable foam foodware. Those products can decompose by 92% over four years in certain landfills, according to the company's website. Griffith also said polystyrene containers are cheaper and in some ways more environmentally friendly than alternatives that require more energy to produce, a point some environmental advocates take issue with. The four- to five-year runway before the measures would take effect is intended to give municipalities time to fill gaps in tax revenue, consumers to adjust behavior, large retailers to eliminate bag use and foam foodware and manufacturers to prepare for losing revenue from large retailers. 'This is a change in the way organizations do business,' said Fine, acknowledging her conversations with opponents of the bills. 'This is a huge step, but we have to protect our Great Lakes and our waterways and this is part of that process.' ____
Chicago Tribune
29-04-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
After years of negotiations, state lawmakers consider measures to phase out plastic bags, foam food containers
After more than a decade of negotiations and failed efforts to reduce the use of plastics, Illinois lawmakers are considering legislation that would prohibit large retailers from offering single-use plastic bags and ban the use of most polystyrene containers in the state over the next four to five years. Advocates, citing the threat of rising plastic waste to human and environmental health, say the timing for the bills is ripe given rising health concerns about microplastics and the passage of similar legislation in states like New Jersey and California. Retailers also support the measures, calling the requirements balanced and flexible, according to a statement from the Illinois Retail Merchants Association. But at the same time, President Donald Trump's administration is moving in an opposite direction, with Trump declaring America is going 'back to plastic' by reversing federal restrictions on plastic drinking straws and dismantling departments that regulate plastic pollution. In addition, some labor unions, including the Illinois Pipe Trades Association and AFL-CIO, oppose the move to do away with foam food containers. Manufacturers have expressed concerns the measures could lead to thousands of layoffs if the facilities that make the banned products are forced to shut down as their in-state customer base disappears. Two bills are awaiting a vote in the state Senate. One measure would use financial penalties under the jurisdiction of the attorney general and local state's attorney offices to restrict the sale or distribution of disposable containers made of polystyrene — known by the brand name Styrofoam — with the exception of egg cartons, starting in January 2030. The other bill would prohibit retailers with more than a dozen stores from offering or making available single-use checkout bags by January 2029. State Sen. Laura Fine, a Democrat from Glenview who's sponsoring the foam container bill, said there are alternatives to polystyrene and plastic bags and that the measures are necessary 'to get the bad products off the market so we could have a cleaner environment and help our kids.' Environmental advocates widely agree there's an unhealthy proliferation of plastic waste and that plastic bags and polystyrene are the 'worst of the worst,' partly because of how long these products take to decompose, said Emily Kowalski, outreach engagement manager with Environment Illinois. She noted about 22 million pounds of plastics enter the Great Lakes every year, according to 2022 estimates from the Rochester Institute of Technology. 'Nothing we use for just a few minutes should be allowed to pollute our water and environment for hundreds of years,' Kowalski said. Volunteers with the Alliance for the Great Lakes have collected more than 10 million pieces of litter in the past 20 years at beaches of the five Great Lakes, 86% of it partially or fully plastic, according to Andrea Densham, senior policy adviser with the environmental organization. Polystyrene foam pieces were the third most common litter item that volunteers found over the years. Densham said this is a threat to drinking water and the lakes, citing that the Great Lakes hold 20% of the world's fresh water and provide drinking water for over 40 million people. According to a 2024 study in the research publication Frontiers, continued exposure to microplastics through ingestion and inhalation can lead to inflammation, gastrointestinal disorders and chronic diseases. There have been previous efforts to reduce plastic in the state, such as Chicago's tax on plastic bags that increased from 7 cents to 10 cents per bag in January 2025 and a 2023 state law banning foam foodware at state facilities that went into effect this January. Advocates say these initiatives haven't been entirely effective. 'I've seen there's still foam in the Stratton cafeteria, so I would like to see the state leading by example,' said Jack Darin, director of the Illinois Sierra Club chapter, referring to a state government office building in Springfield that was required to stop procuring foam, or polystyrene, for use by January 2025 under the 2023 law. Sen. Cristina Castro's bill to ban plastic bags contains a provision that would eliminate municipal taxes on plastic bags by 2029, including Chicago's, which at 7 cents a bag in 2023 generated more than $17 million. Castro, of Elgin, said municipalities have not been using the extra cash to support sustainable initiatives, as was intended by advocates. An outright ban, instead of a tax, would be more successful in limiting plastic waste, Castro said. 'Instead of using the money for sustainability programs, a lot of them (municipalities) have used it for filling the coffers or plugging some other hole, which has frustrated a lot of the environmentalists, activists, who have said, 'Hey, that was supposed to help with recycling and things like that,'' said Castro. The Illinois Municipal League opposes the bill because of the provision dropping the bag tax, which it argues preempts local regulatory authority, the group's CEO, Brad Cole, said. Manufacturers and the unions take issue with Fine's foam foodware bill, arguing the measure would only shift consumers to use another type of plastic and cause significant job losses at polystyrene manufacturing plants. While the bills do not ban the production of polystyrene, Donovan Griffith, vice president for government affairs for the Illinois Manufacturers Association, said a loss of in-state customers holds a 'real potential for job losses.' Keith Clark, CEO of Dart Container, a polystyrene manufacturing company that employs more than 1,400 people in Illinois at facilities in Chicago, North Aurora and Country Club Hills, told the Tribune that the legislation, if passed, would 'certainly require us to reassess our Illinois operations in the coming years.' Brad Laporte, CEO of WinCup, a polystyrene manufacturer with two facilities outside of Chicago, said he worked with Illinois lawmakers to get the ban deadline extended to 2030 but still opposes it, saying the measure could even ban the company's new biodegradable foam foodware. Those products can decompose by 92% over four years in certain landfills, according to the company's website. Griffith also said polystyrene containers are cheaper and in some ways more environmentally friendly than alternatives that require more energy to produce, a point some environmental advocates take issue with. The four- to five-year runway before the measures would take effect is intended to give municipalities time to fill gaps in tax revenue, consumers to adjust behavior, large retailers to eliminate bag use and foam foodware and manufacturers to prepare for losing revenue from large retailers. 'This is a change in the way organizations do business,' said Fine, acknowledging her conversations with opponents of the bills. 'This is a huge step, but we have to protect our Great Lakes and our waterways and this is part of that process.'
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Lawmakers debate controversial bills that would add surcharge for plastic bags: 'It's a tax savings to the community'
Three new eco-friendly laws could soon be on the books in Richmond, Virginia. The city council is soon expected to debate proposals for a plastic-bag tax, as well as renewed enforcement of bans on releasing balloons and on certain food retailers using plastic-foam containers, Richmond's 8News reports. The most notable of those proposals is the new tax, which would put a surcharge of 5 cents on each plastic bag used at stores and restaurants. Environment America reports that Americans use more than 100 billion plastic bags each year, many of which end up in landfills and oceans. "All this plastic and all this litter is really devastating to our environment and to our infrastructure," Richmond Director of Sustainability Laura Thomas told 8News. "It's a tax savings to the community, as well." Not everyone in the community agrees with Thomas, however. Some fear that a bag tax will put an unfair financial burden on low-income households. "I'm against that," resident Bryana Ferrell told 8News. "Imagine if a single mother … has to fill a full house. That's $0.05 per bag." Richmond isn't alone in attempting to curb plastic-bag usage. California, for example, will enact a complete ban on plastic bags in grocery stores starting in 2026, and data from across the United States shows that such bans result in nearly 300 fewer plastic bags being used per person, per year. The city also wants to enforce a state law that bans releasing balloons outside, with a fine of $25 for each balloon intentionally set loose. Balloons are not just potentially fatal to wildlife — they also create litter and microplastic pollution. Finally, the council will consider renewed enforcement of a Virginia law that bans food retailers with at least 20 Virginia locations from using plastic-foam containers, such as polystyrene foam — more commonly known as Styrofoam. The ban wouldn't affect pre-packaged food, but it would affect prepared food such as takeout from a restaurant. Polystyrene foam is nonbiodegradable and can linger in the environment for hundreds of years. It can also leach toxic materials into food and drink, particularly hot items, and occupies up to 30% of U.S. landfill space. Should the government ban gas stoves? Yes Only in new buildings Only in restaurants No way Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
