Statement: Maryland becomes the second state to ban plastic foam containers

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Maryland’s statewide ban on polystyrene foam cups and containers will officially go into law without Gov. Larry Hogan’s signature. In March, Maryland became the first state in the country to pass a foam ban through its state legislature. Following Maine’s lead earlier this month, Maryland is now the second state to have a foam ban on the books.

Polystyrene foam -- commonly referred to as Styrofoam -- is one of the most common and hazardous forms of single-use plastic. Less than 3 percent of it is recycled, and once in landfills or the natural environment, it persists for hundreds of years.

In a single year, Americans throw out 25 billion polystyrene foam cups, part of the 8 million tons of plastic dumped in waterways every year. A recent study found that of all the polystyrene and other plastics ever made, 79 percent currently exist in landfills or in rivers, lakes and oceans. Pieces of plastic have been found in every corner of the planet, from alpine lakes in the Pyrenees to the deepest ocean trenches, and ingested by sea turtles and humans alike.

CONTINUE READING ON environmentamerica.org