Maine just became the first state to ban styrofoam

Marianne Dodson's avatar
By
published
styrofoam take-out container.
(Image credit: Spencer Platt / Getty Images)

Maine is leading the war on styrofoam after signing a bill banning the material from businesses this week.

The law will prohibit restaurants, caterers, coffee shops, and grocery stores from using to-go styrofoam containers, reports CNN.

Article continues below

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The banned material, which cannot be recycled, has come under scrutiny for its potential to damage the environment. Maryland's legislature has also proposed a bill banning polystyrene, another name for styrofoam, in an effort to curb reliance on single-use plastics, per CNN.

Explore More
Marianne Dodson
Marianne Dodson

Marianne is The Week’s Social Media Editor. She is a native Tennessean and recent graduate of Ohio University, where she studied journalism and political science. Marianne has previously written for The Daily Beast, The Crime Report, and The Moroccan Times.