Help the Virginia Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation pass House Bill 1902, which would ban the use of expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam (commonly known as Styrofoam™) food containers by July 1, 2025. This includes foam cups and "clamshells". Bills similar to HB 1902 have passed in more than 150 municipalities in the US, as well as statewide bills in Maryland, New York, Vermont, New Jersey, and Maine.

EPS foam is part of the deluge of plastic pollution that is contaminating natural areas and threatening human health in Virginia. Plastics have now been found in our air, water, and in our bodies. EPS foam is consistently one of the top ten items found in beach clean ups.

HB 1902 allows five years for small businesses in the state to comply with the ban on EPS foam foodware. This gives businesses plenty of time to find economical alternatives, and the COVID-19 pandemic will be history.

EPS foam (resin number 6) is not economically feasible to recycle as it has little to no value and high contamination from food residue. New York City’s Dept of Sanitation has done extensive research on the recyclability of EPS foam and found that, in the eight largest recycling programs in North American that collected EPS foam, none were recycling EPS foodware.

EPS food containers pose a human health risk, as they can leach small amounts of the toxin styrene when they come into contact with warm food or drink, alcohol, oils, and acidic foods. The US National Library of Medicine states that chronic exposure to styrene in humans results in negative effects on the central nervous system, such as headaches, fatigue, weakness, depression, and hearing loss. 

Pollution from the incineration of plastics, including EPS foam, does not fall evenly on Virginia communities. A 2019 study found that 79% of garbage incinerators are located in black, Indigenous, and people of color communities and the pollutant fumes produced by incinerating plastic have toxic effects when inhaled.

It has become clear that EPS foam foodware is not worth the health risks to our families, and the degradation of our beautiful Virginia natural areas, waterways, and coastlines. This bill gives adequate time for the food industry to find alternatives to this dangerous material.

Help us pass HB 1902 into law!