SCA President Testifies About Styrofoam Health Risks in Montgomery County

It’s one of those things that drive us all a little crazy—seeing plastic and styrofoam cups and food containers on the side of our roads, in our lakes and rivers, at our parks, and bulging out of garbage cans in fast food restaurants and at public events. It’s a highly visual symbol of environmental degradation, and waste—on multiple levels.

A bill in the Montgomery County Council would tackle one part of this problem. It would ban the use of styrofoam food containers and require that compostable or recyclable containers take their place at all commercial food establishments in the county—restaurants, grocery stores, cafeterias, etc. The legislation was introduced in September 2014 by Councilmember Hans Riemer and is co-sponsored by Councilmembers Marc Elrich and George Leventhal.

Beth Daly, SCA’s new president, testified in strong support of the bill at a country hearing on Oct. 14, on behalf of SCA and Montgomery Countryside Alliance (MCA). Passing the bill would be “an important step towards a healthier and less polluted Montgomery County,” she told the Council. The bill would also reduce the health risk that arises from discarded styrofoam and from burning styrofoam products in the country’s incinerator in Dickerson, in the heart of the Agricultural Reserve. Styrofoam doesn’t break down and styrene—a main ingredient in Styrofoam—is a known carcinogen. 

Many cities and counties have already taken this step, including New York and Washington, D.C., and it’s being considered in Boston, Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia.

Help us support this important legislation by making a donation to SCA today.