The Portland City Council has voted in a bid to ban the usage of foam packaging in stores as well as restaurants so as to cut down trash that is polluting waterways.
The two 6-3 votes will see the ban of foam packaging and enactment of a 5-cent fee on disposable shopping bags, respectively.
The new law, which will not allow retail food vendors to serve or sell prepared food on polystyrene service ware, prohibits food packagers offering products for retail sale to use the material.
According to the ordinance, retailers as well as vendors within the town are mandated not to sell polystyrene food or beverage containers. However, prepackaged foods can be sold in containers that are made of polystyrene.
Initially, a draft was prepared for the ordinance, which has been changed. In the new draft, language affecting the seafood industry was avoided as no speciic alternative could be found in place of the polystyrene foam packaging.
In a bid to encourage shoppers to carry their own bags that are reusable and cut down litter, many cities and counties across Portland have adopted fees or bans on the bags.
