With the first phase of a sweeping plastics ban now in effect, restaurants in Virginia are attempting to change the way they do business.
In 2021, the Virginia General Assembly passed House Bill 1902, which bans the use of expanded polystyrene, commonly known as Styrofoam, by food vendors. The legislation aims to reduce litter, microplastic pollution, and environmental harm from the non-biodegradable material.
To offer businesses a chance to adjust to the ban, legislators included a phase-out period. For food vendors with 20 or more Virginia locations, they were required to stop using Styrofoam containers on July 1, 2025. All remaining food vendors must comply with the ban by July 1, 2026, or face a civil penalty of $50 a day while in violation.
Zach Huntington, director of marine debris strategy at Clean Virginia Waterways, explained to VPM News that Styrofoam is able to inflict a specific harm on the environment. Since the material can be uniquely brittle after being used, it can often break apart into countless smaller pieces. This can present a danger to wildlife that may unintentionally consume these microplastic particles.
Microplastics have been found to cause physical damage to organisms by introducing toxic chemicals into the environment.
This can impact soil and ocean health by disrupting nutrient cycling and oxygen levels. Once introduced into an ecosystem, microplastics may eventually work their way up the food chain, ultimately being consumed by the human population.
With the enactment of the plastics ban, Huntington believes that CVW and other organizations can finally have a fighting chance at combating pollution. “I find a lot of Chick-fil-A cups, and the ban on expanded polystyrene has been nice because now we can actually find whole cups instead of pieces of them,” Huntington said.
Despite the benefit of reducing plastic pollution in the environment, plastic bans can have unforeseen economic impacts by forcing businesses to incur higher costs for more expensive alternative packaging. Since plastics are generally a cheap and easy solution for food packaging, this could potentially lead to increasing prices for consumers.
Brian Baynes, a used bookstore owner in Virginia, feels that adjusting to new business practices is worth the price if it means getting rid of Styrofoam containers. “Those things need to go the same way lead paint went,” Baynes told VPM News. “It’s time to move on.”
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