Foam cups, containers eyed amid NYC recycling push
NEW YORK (AP) - Could plastic foam containers get 86'd from the menu of takeout food options in New York City?
Sanitation officials say the idea is under discussion but it's too soon to say what they'll recommend in an upcoming report on boosting recycling rates.
Communities from Massachusetts to California have barred eateries from using to-go containers made of polystyrene foam, a material in Styrofoam.
Restaurateurs like the lightweight containers. But environmentalists say they take years to break down in trash.
Sanitation Deputy Commissioner Ron Gonen said Wednesday a possible ban is something the nation's biggest city needs to examine in aiming to double its recycling rate by 2017. He says officials are examining a range of ideas.
Proposals to ban polystyrene foam food containers have stalled in the City Council in recent years.
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