It is off.

The City Council’s much-anticipated first round debate – with competing segments of the community – over potential banning of polystyrene containers has been postponed.

Indefinitely.

The new debate date – far from being scheduled – is expected to be in several months.

Main reason for the delay is as unequivocal as the subject matter is dense:

The chief targets – food containers made of polystyrene and son of polystyrene, called Styrofoam – are much too complex to be merely banned, and then have the city leaders – namely the City Council – merely walk away.

Meanwhile, restaurateurs are left standing there with their stunned jaws dropping progressively closer to the ground.

The unbounded excitement that exploded last summer will need to be tamped down until perhaps January, February or later.

Celebrations, especially but not only, erupted among environmentalists when the Ballona Creek Renaissance convinced the City Council to pursue a wide prohibition because too many food and drink containers were polluting the waters.

Meanwhile, City Hall will start polling restaurateurs in November to determine precisely where all of them are holding on polystyrene and alternatives.