Second in a series. 

Re: “Styrofoam Background Check on Schedule” 

Who ever would have guessed you could recycle dirty Styrofoam?

Not Göran Eriksson.

The City Councilman said learning that food waste was not an impediment to recycling

has been his most surprising discovery.

Mr. Eriksson is half of the Council’s Sustainability Subcommittee that is conducting research on banning Styrofoam food containers.

Mr. Eriksson and Meghan Sahli-Wells will present their findings to the Council on Monday, Oct. 24 when a fleet of enthused activists no doubt  vociferously will cheer the results.

Resistance, however, likely lies just ahead.

“I am sure there will be pushback,” Mr. Eriksson said while identifying the hot-button point.

“The problem is that the whole concept of banning polystyrene is that polystyrene is used in a lot of materials.”

He offered an illustration.

“All of the lids on coffee containers in all takeout coffee places – all of them — they all use lids made of polystyrene,” Mr. Eriksson said.

“Such lids are not easily replaceable. Starbucks has been searching for two years, and they still have not found a replacement.”

His conclusion: “There still is work to be done.

“To be able to recycle them instead of sending them to a landfill” is the goal.

(To be continued)