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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 11, 2019 10:49 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Daylin Leach |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Polystyrene Food Containers |
| Soon I will reintroduce legislation to prohibit food establishments from dispensing prepared food to customers in polystyrene food service containers. This legislation will be identical to a proposal to be introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Tim Briggs. According to the environmental organization No More Styrofoam, roughly 50 billion pounds of expanded polystyrene foam (more commonly known as styrofoam) is deposited in landfills annually. By volume, styrofoam is made up of roughly 98 percent air and, in most cases, is not cost-effective to store or ship since a mass quantity of the material requires a large amount of storage space. Unfortunately, discarded styrofoam leads to the pollution of local waterways and the world’s oceans, and its particles are responsible for causing widespread poisoning of birds, marine life, and microorganisms. In addition, as a material that is resistant to the sun’s rays, it may take up to one million years for styrofoam to naturally decompose. This bill was known as Senate Bill 1233 during the 2017-2018 session. It was cosponsored by Senator McGarrigle. Please join me in supporting this important legislation. If you have questions about this legislation, please don’t hesitate to contact me. |
Introduced as SB803