BUFFALO, N.Y. — Two new regulations are now on the books aimed at significantly reducing the amount of electronic and foam waste in the environment.
The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) said the 'Expanded Polystyrene Foam Container and Loose Fill Packaging Ban' is also intended to promote recycling and reduce litter.
The new regulations to help implement New York’s polystyrene foam ban, known as the Expanded Polystyrene Foam Container and Loose Fill Packaging Ban, that began on Jan. 1, 2022. The new regulations provide clarity regarding the ban on expanded polystyrene foam containers and loose fill packaging (commonly referred to as packing peanuts); establish prohibitions related to its sale, offering for sale, and distribution; explain the financial hardship waiver application process; give cost comparison analysis for alternative packaging; provide definition of the terms "comparable cost" and "undue financial hardship"; and criteria for hardship waiver approval, renewal, and denial.
“New York was among the first states to ban foam take-out containers and packing peanuts because we’ve seen the direct impacts of litter in neighborhoods across the state and the ongoing, long-term damage created by microplastics on our environment,” Commissioner Basil Seggos said. “The enactment of this common sense regulation and the new requirements for electronic waste builds upon New York State’s nation-leading efforts to reduce landfill waste and promote recycling.”
More information on how you 'Go Foam Free' can be found here.