By KAREN VELIE
The San Luis Obispo City Council is scheduled to discuss the banning of Styrofoam products on Tuesday evening.
In March, the city council asked staff to look into banning Styrofoam products. In California, 80 cities and counties have regulations against Styrofoam products, the staff report says.
Styrofoam is not recyclable or biodegradable. Because of its foam structure, it breaks down easily, is expensive to remove from the environment and can be harmful to fish and wildlife if mistaken as food and ingested.
City staff has come up with four possible bans. The first would ban only Styrofoam food and drink containers while the fourth and most restrictive would ban much more including foam ice coolers and pool toys.
Some restaurants have voiced reluctance to switch from Styrofoam to another type of container because of the increased cost, lack of insulation, and issues with durability.
