Mixed Reaction To Bloomberg's Proposed Styrofoam Ban
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg's new grudge against Styrofoam has drawn mixed reactions from New Yorkers.
As WCBS 880's Marla Diamond reported, Bloomberg proposed the ban in his State of the City address on Thursday.
WATCH: The Mayor's Full Address
Mixed Reaction To Bloomberg's Proposed Styrofoam Ban
"One product that is virtually impossible to recycle and never bio-degrades is Styrofoam. Something that we know is environmentally destructive and that may be hazardous to our health, that is costing taxpayers money and that we can easily do without, and is something that should go the way of lead paint," Bloomberg said in the address at the Barclays Center.
Avid Dunkin' Donuts coffee drinker does not like the idea. He said he likes the Styrofoam cups Dunkin' Donuts provides because they keep the coffee hot.
"First the ban with large sodas – I mean, come on, this is a free country," he said. "We should be able to drink whatever we want to drink, as much as we want to drink. I just find that ridiculous."
In a statement, Dunkin' Donuts said the mayor's ban would not eliminate waste or increase recycling. But coffee drinker Mike said they should switch to paper cups.
"You've got environment issues and you have hot coffee issues – what's more important?" he said. "I've got a kid. I'm about environment."
The Styrofoam also opened the mayor up to ridicule from Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, who shares the same Valentine's Day birthday as the mayor.
Markwoitz joked that the Styrofoam cup he held up was the perfect gift for Bloomberg because since it's not biodegradable, it was the only thing that could outlast the mayor's legacy.
The mayor wants food service businesses to switch to certain types of recyclable plastic and paper.
There is an estimated 20,000 tons of Styrofoam in the city's waste stream each year. Similar bans have been adopted in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle.
New York would be the first major East Coast city to enact such a policy, but a similar proposal has stalled in City Council in recent years.
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