NORWALK, Conn. – Norwalk Common Council members are poised to on Tuesday ban the use of Styrofoam by retail establishments and food packagers within the City.
The cost to Norwalk Public Schools has been a major topic of conversation; NPS Chief Financial Officer Thomas Hamilton on Aug. 20 said there are two options, one which would cost $34,000 and another, which would be more environmentally friendly but cost $219,508 a year.
Council members indicated a willingness to cover that cost with a special appropriation.
“A big part what we’re doing is trying to protect the school kids as well. And I think that’s, that’s worth some money,” Council President Tom Livingston (D-District E) said.
On Sunday, Livingston indicated that Council members are choosing the less expense option.
This proposed ban comes on the heels of a plastic shopping bag ban. There has also been talk of banning plastic straws.
Polystyrene, commonly called Styrofoam, is believed to be a carcinogen (cancer causing) by the Department of Health and Human Services and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, Betty Ball of Skip the Plastic Norwalk said. It can cause irritation of the skin, eyes, upper respiratory tract and the gastrointestinal tract, and exhibits its toxicity to humans as a neurotoxin by attacking the central and peripheral nervous systems.
“Polystyrene trays are used in most Norwalk schools exposing the youngest people to the chemicals toxic effects,” Ball said. “The EPA ranks polystyrene manufacturing as the fifth worst global industry in terms of hazardous waste creation. Polystyrene containers, including coffee cups and takeout containers, leach the toxin styrene when they come into contact with warm food or drink alcohol, oils and acidic foods causing human contamination, which poses a health risk to people.”
NPS uses 1.37 million Styrofoam trays per year, Livingston noted, citing Hamilton’s report.
“That’s a lot of waste. That that has cost associated with the waste as well,” Livingston said.
The school district is very interested in moving toward more environmentally friendly practices, has installed dishwashers in two schools and is planning to install dishwashers in two more schools by the end of the year, Hamilton said. But you need a place to dry and store reusable trays, and “it’s going to be a while,” like, “probably 10 years,” before NPS switches entirely over because “storage space is a real issue.”
Chartwells, the district’s food vendor, indicated that NPS could switch to a molded fiber tray at a cost of $34,000 or a “fully compostable” plant-based tray for $219,508, Hamilton reported. The fiber tray doesn’t fully biodegrade but is better than Styrofoam and, “this is often the preferred solution since most Connecticut waste does go to an incinerator,” he said.
Council member Chris Yerinides (D-District A) asked if there’s a plan to compost the trays. Hamilton said that was a good question and Livingston asserted, “They say it’s compostable. It’s not really.”
Chartwells might have a plan, Hamilton said.
Apparently not: Livingston on Sunday wrote, “{T}here are currently no industrial composting facilities in Fairfield County that accept these products. The compostable trays will likely be incinerated as garbage so are not worth the additional cost.”
The students hate Styrofoam trays “so much,” Committee Chairwoman Eloisa Melendez (D-District A) said on Aug. 20. “It’s horrible to have to throw those things out every day, and have to eat on them and use them and cut on them, you know, clearly what it’s about.”
“The idea of a Board of Education is to educate,” Corsello said. “This is part of educating our kids, what’s drastically important, and if there’s a cost associated with it then that’s a cost we should be willing to bear. So I am OK with it.”
He also noted that no businesses had come to the public hearing although it had been advertised to the Chamber of Commerce.
“It’s because, I guess, they recognize times have changed and they’ll find alternative way to be pushing their goods when they ship them out of town,” Corsello said.
“I noticed that more often than not, lately, packages are coming in packed with brown paper crumpled up,” Council member Beth Siegelbaum (D-District C) said.
“I work at a small store and we ship stuff out all the time and never use (Styrofoam) peanuts. So it’s definitely achievable,” Yerinides said.
The Committee agreed unanimously to send its proposed ordinance to the full Council for a vote.
The ordinance is on the agenda for Tuesday’s Council meeting. It would go into effect after six months; first time violators would be given a written warning. A second violation would result in a $150 fine and each violation after that would draw a $250 fine. Only one violation could be issued in a 24 hour period.
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