Starting with the City Council’s intention to eventually ban food containers made of Styrofoam, new member Goran Eriksson said he sees this opening “as an opportunity to address issues with Styrofoam in general,” to make a far broader strike for the environment than ever before.

“Right now we are landfilling a lot of Styrofoam,” said Mr. Eriksson, a muscular advocate for the environment.

The international businessman, rounding out his fourth month on the dais, is at least as eager for Styrofoam relief as the Council’s noisy critics who have clamored for an instant law.

“We should look at what options we have, and how we could set up a way to divert the Styrofoam from landfills and instead recycle,” said Mr. Eriksson.

“We have Styrofoam in a lot of different items — not just the white stuff we all see.”

He cited plastic cups, CD cases, sizable electronic equipment.

“There is Styrofoam in a lot of products that we use regularly,” the Councilman said, emphasizing the richness of this opportunity, which was planted by the environmental group Ballona Creek Renaissance.

“We should look at how we can avoid sending (the various manifestations of Styrofoam) to landfills.

“I hope we don’t take one little thing – banning Styrofoam food containers – and then nothing else will happen. This is a great opportunity for us to see what our city can do to minimize impact on landfills, on the ocean and everywhere.”
Culver City’s challenge is clear and indisputable, the Councilman said, to concentrate on outlawing food container-sized Styrofoam products. A ban on foam commonly used with large appliances “is change tar will have to happen at the state or national level,” Mr. Eriksson said.

Nevertheless, sizable Styrofoam-wrapped products flow into Culver City homes and businesses daily.

“It is our responsibility,” he said, “to do the utmost we can to avoid having it go to landfills or into the ocean.”