Bridget Reed Morawski
WASHINGTON — (WMAL) Prince George’s County just got a little greener.
Starting next month, businesses will no longer be permitted to sell or use any polystyrene products in the county.
The prohibition of polystyrene stems from an effort from both local government and environmental groups to curb water pollution.
“It’s nightmarish for the environment, especially waterways,” said Prince George’s Councilwoman Mary Lehman. “It’s a big problem in the Anacostia in particular, but also in the Potomac. It’s everywhere.”
The ban begins July 1, although it was approved by the Prince George’s County Council in April 2015. The Council wanted to allow for an educational period in which they could reach out to the business community and educate them regarding the various packaging options before the ban officially began.
Full enforcement of the ban won’t begin for at least another six months, according to Lehman. In order to ensure full compliance and education on the matter, they want to continue providing time for businesses to find new products that work for them and to consult with the Prince George’s County Department of the Environment.
However, the ban does have teeth: those caught using the products after the initial six month period will face incremental fines.
And while the ban prohibits the sale and use of any polystyrene product in the county, councilmembers don’t want businessowners to throw away unused products.
Instead, councilmembers wanted businesses to use up their remaining inventory of styrofoam before investing in new, biodegradeable products, such as bamboo-based
“We certainly didn’t want to see businesses that had four, six, nine months worth of foam products just throwing them in the trash unused,” said Councilwoman Lehman.
While styrofoam is recycleable, Councilwoman Lehman notes that it’s an expensive process that works best when working with large chunks of styrofoam – not the smaller products like coffee cups and takeaway boxes.
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