(Photo by Gerardo Romo via El Diario)
At Casella Bagel Coffee Shop, in Brooklyn, they are getting ready to comply with Mayor Bill de Blasio’s green measure to ban expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam starting July 1 by replacing all such containers with plastic ones.
“It will affect us because foam is much cheaper. It will cost us more,” said manager Victoria Montero, from Venezuela, adding that it may cause them to raise their prices.
Outside, customer Darío Ramos, 30, who carried his take-out lunch in a foam container, said that he did not know about the measure. “I think this [container] is fine. It’s convenient,” said Ramos. “I can understand that they want to change them to be greener, but I’m not sure if it’s worth it if it’s going to be more expensive.”
Other patrons differ. “As customers, we must be responsible for what we do to the environment too,” said 39-year-old Alex Roche. “I think that this will be good in spite of the [higher] price. Maybe we should eat at the restaurants more often instead of taking out and using so many containers.”
Still, the city’s Department of Sanitation (DSNY) said that the measure should not imply higher costs for restaurants. “We do not anticipate that it will turn into a greater burden for them but, if they demonstrate that they are going through financial hardship, they may obtain an exemption,” said DSNY Commissioner Kathryn García. “We hope that everyone will want to use more sustainable materials that can be reused. It is better for our environment.”
Backlash against the measure
The Restaurant Action Alliance NYC stated on Tuesday that over 500 businesses in the five boroughs have signed a petition asking the mayor to revert the measure. “I am being forced to use an alternative product that is more expensive,” said Astrid Portillo from the Mi Pequeño El Salvador restaurant in Jackson Heights. “I will have to pay for it with my own money, which will affect the number of people I will be able to hire. We need them to help small businesses, not to make things harder for us.”
Additionally, one of the companies which produces the material has filed a lawsuit against the city in an attempt to stop the measure. They argue that EPS foam can be recycled. “So far, we haven’t heard from the court that they will postpone the law,” said Commissioner García.
Experts say that, although EPS foam may be recycled, it is a difficult process, especially in a city producing nearly 28,500 tons of EPS foam waste annually. “Some say that they can do it, but the truth is that there is not a large market [for it],” said John Bradley, associate vice president at New York University’s Sustainability, Energy and Technical Services. “I am in favor of banning both foam and plastic bags. There are recyclable or compostable alternatives to both of them.”
Commissioner García said that recycling poses a great challenge, and explained that “if [foam] is used for food, it will be hard to reuse it. It needs to be cleaned, and there is no one doing that at this level in the United States.”
A few days before the measure goes into effect, employees at Tío Pío, also in Brooklyn, said that they still have hundreds of unused foam containers. However, they said, they are not worried because they have a large clientele and the containers will be gone soon. “If it is required, we will have to change them and that’s it. I cannot change the laws; I have to adapt,” said manager Carlos Espinoza, who hails from Ecuador. “But if it is for the environment, it is a good thing.”
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According to Portillo, foam containers are radically cheaper. She said that she buys a box of 500 small containers for $13. “If I buy other types, such as cardboard or plastic, the box contains fewer, maybe 250 [containers], and it will cost me about $50,” said the restaurant manager. “It is a tremendous increase for us.”