- April 20, 2021 – Boynton Beach
On April 20th, the Boynton Beach City Commission voted unanimously to pass a polystyrene ordinance prohibiting the use and distribution of polystyrene foam, balloons and confetti, on all city property! - January 14, 2021 – Palm Beach Gardens
On January 14, Palm Beach Gardens passed a resolution prohibiting the use of polystyrene products on public property. It also directs City Administration to negotiate “No Polystyrene” provisions in applicable City contracts, and encourages all residents and retail businesses within the City to reduce or eliminate the use of polystyrene products. - October 6, 2020- Delray Beach
The city of Delray Beach passed 2 polystyrene resolutions. These resolutions encourage local retail stores, restaurant, and all city businesses to reduce the use of polystyrene products and also encourage city staff to negotiate “no polystyrene clauses” into their contracts with vendors.
The best way to do that is to be their resource for all things polystyrene. We need to have all of the information on what polystyrene is, why it's a problem and suggested solutions for solving that problem. In this case, we are suggesting a ban on polystyrene on all city property.
Polystyrene is a type of plastic manufactured from non-renewable fossil fuels and synthetic chemicals into two main forms:
- Expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam, which is typically used for cheap, disposable foodware (cups, plates, ‘clamshells’, etc.) and for packaging to protect goods during shipment.
- Solid polystyrene, which is often used for a variety of things including disposable cutlery, plastic models, CD and DVD cases, and smoke detector housings.
- Styrofoam (TM). The word styrofoam is often used to describe expanded polystyrene foam products; however, ‘Styrofoam’ is actually a trademarked term owned by The Dow Chemical Company for closed-cell extruded polystyrene (XPS) foam made for thermal insulation and craft applications.
EPS foam is currently the correct term for any foam takeout ware or other expanded polystyrene foam products not manufactured by Dow.
The vast majority of these products are used in the restaurant industry.
But they don't have to be! We now have alternative products that can be used in place of polystyrene. (Click here and scroll to page 8 to view our Buying Guide) Why would anyone continue to buy the polystyrene products that pollute our environment? Unfortunately, it's fairly simple. Polystyrene products are cheap to manufacture and cheap to buy. However, with more and more reusable/biodegradable/compostable options on the market, this point should no longer be an issue. On top of the negative affects on the environment and wildlife, expanded foam takeout ware also affects human health. *Styrene residues are found in 100% of all samples of human fat tissue from exposure through food and packaging. Styrene has been classified as an anticipated human carcinogen and a neurotoxin.
Sue Wolfe/Flickr
Bans and legislative action can be avoided altogether when businesses embrace the shared responsibility to reduce disposable items. For example, if customers are eating/drinking in a restaurant, offer them plates, glasses and mugs that are washed rather than thrown away. If customers order out, offer them incentives for reusable mugs, bags, etc. if possible. Several Surfrider Foundation chapters have an Ocean Friendly Restaurants program to incentivize elimination of EPS foam foodware because it is a top item found at beach cleanups.Enact local, regional or statewide bans on polystyrene.
Most of the current local ordinances banned EPS foam foodware, while a few also banned solid polystyrene foodware. On July 1, 2015 New York City became the largest city in the country to ban EPS foam. As of that date, food service establishments, stores and manufacturers may not possess, sell, or offer for use single service Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam articles or polystyrene loose fill packaging, such as “packing peanuts” in New York City.
This is our goal for Palm Beach County.
We need your voices to be heard! A first, easy step to take is sending an email to your local elected officials. Below you will find talking points, sample subject lines and the email addresses for your respective city government officials.
*When speaking to an elected official or their staff, remember to always be respectful of them and their time, stay on topic, do not attack or threaten in any way (We are here to inform and act as their eyes in the community.), and only speak from your personal experiences.*
"Good [morning, afternoon, evening],
My name is [insert your name here] and I live at [insert your address here]. I am requesting the council consider a polystyrene ordinance on all city property. [Here is where you explain your perspective on polystyrene and plastic pollution in your city and along your beaches, and why you want to see a ban on these products in your city. Feel fee to attach photos/videos that you've taken, too.]
Thank you,
[Your name and contact info]Although these talking points will help you craft your emails, they should not be the only words you send. Decision makers don’t want to hear the same points over and over. A variety of perspectives is key to getting our issue front and center.
- EPS foam litter is a global and local issue. (Possibly talk about some of the global issues, such as the ocean turning into a plastic soup, but be sure to bring it back to why action is needed locally.)
- EPS foam does not biodegrade in our lifetimes and can impact wildlife when littered – in addition to being an eyesore, costing taxpayer dollars to pick up and disproportionally filling up landfills.
- EPS foam is typically made from non-renewable fossil fuels and synthetic chemicals that may leach out over time, especially if in contact with hot, greasy or acidic food.
- Although inexpensive to buy, EPS can be expensive to clean up. Since they are so inexpensive, polystyrene products are often thrown away or littered after a single use. Many municipalities that have to comply with storm water regulations limiting trash in waterways have already spent substantial taxpayer dollars trying to control, capture, and remove trash, including EPS.
- EPS recycling is often not economical, so most of it gets landfilled or littered. Very few communities have access to polystyrene recycling. This form of plastic pollution should be addressed at the source instead of relying on more trashcans and ‘end of the pipe’ solutions of capturing and removing litter.
- There is concern regarding human health impacts. Research published in 2014 describes how polystyrene debris polluting Hawaii's beaches breaks down into the monomer styrene, a suspected human carcinogen.
Your subject line of your email is another place you want to be sure to use unique wording. Most of the group emails or petitions that are sent with the exact same subject line are marked as spam and moved out of the decision maker's inbox. Yes, 1 or 2 emojis are ok to use.
- Our oceans are turning into plastic soup. We must act now!
- Keep plastic pollution out of our environment.
- Ban polystyrene products from all city property.
- Please be a leader in keeping our oceans plastic-free.
- Protect our natural areas from polystyrene pollution.
- Be an ocean champion and ban polystyrene.
Click to download.
Michael La Coursiere, Mayor and Group 4 Councilor
561.822.6210
mlacoursiere@atlantisfl.gov
Allan Kaulbach, Vice Mayor and Group 3 Councilor
561.822.6240
akaulbach@atlantisfl.gov
Keller Lanahan, Group 1 Councilor
561.822.6737
klanahan@atlantisfl.gov
Guy Motzer, Group 2 Councilor
561.822.6496
gmotzer@atlantisfl.gov
Peter Shapiro, Group 5 Councilor
561.822.6188
pshapiro@atlantisfl.govMayor Steve B. Wilson
swilson@belleglade-fl.com
Vice Mayor Mary Ross Wilkerson
mwilkerson@belleglade-fl.com
Treasurer Michael C. Martin
mmartin@belleglade-fl.com
Commissioner Johnny Burroughs, Jr.
jburroughs@belleglade-fl.com
Commissioner Larry Underwood
lunderwood@belleglade-fl.comMonica Mayotte
MMayotte@ci.boca-raton.fl.us
Andrea Levine O'Rourke
AORourke@ci.boca-raton.fl.us
Jeremy Rodgers
JRodgers@ci.boca-raton.fl.us
Andy Thomson
AThomson@ci.boca-raton.fl.usMayor Steven B. Grant, At-Large
Email: GrantS@bbfl.us | phone: (561) 742-6010 | Cell: (561) 376-1537
Vice Mayor Ty Penserga, District IV
Email: PensergaT@bbfl.us | phone: (561) 742-6010 | Cell: (561) 350-9232
Commissioner Justin Katz, District I
Email: KatzJr@bbfl.us | phone: (561) 742-6010 | Cell: (561) 827-0407
Commissioner Woodrow L. Hay, District II
Email: HayW@bbfl.us | phone: (561) 742-6010 | Cell: (561) 702-2107
Commissioner Christina Romelus, District III
Email: RomelusC@bbfl.us | phone: (561) 742-6010 | Cell: (561) 436-2826The Briny Breezes website only has a phone number listed: 561-276-7405Mayor Shelly Petrolia
Petrolia@mydelraybeach.com
Vice-Mayor Ryan Boylston
Boylston@mydelraybeach.com
Deputy Vice-Mayor Shirley Johnson
Johnson@mydelraybeach.com
Commissioner Adam Frankel
Franke@mydelraybeach.com
Commissioner Juli Casale
Casale@mydelraybeach.comJoel Flores, Mayor
jflores@greenacresfl.gov
Judith Dugo, Deputy Mayor, District III
jdugo@greenacresfl.gov
John Tharp, Councilmember, District I
jtharp@greenacresfl.gov
Peter A. Noble, Councilmember, District II
pnoble@greenacresfl.gov
Jonathan G. Pearce, Councilmember, District IV
jpearce@greenacresfl.gov
Paula Bousquet, Councilmember District V
pbousquet@greenacresfl.govMayor, Scott Morgan
smorgan@gulf-stream.org
Vice Mayor, Thomas Stanley
tstanley@gulf-stream.org
Joan Orthwein
jorthwein@gulf-stream.org
Paul Lyons
plyons@gulf-stream.org
Donna S. White
dwhite@gulf-stream.orgJay Foy Mayor
jfoy@townofhaverhill-fl.gov
Lawrence Gordon Vice Mayor
lgordon@townofhaverhill-fl.gov
Mark Uptegraph Council Member
muptegraph@townofhaverhill-fl.gov
Dennis Withington Council Member
dwithington@townofhaverhill-fl.gov
Ray Caranci Council Member
rcaranci@townofhaverhill-fl.govMayor Douglas Hillman
dhillman@highlandbeach.us
Vice-Mayor Greg Babij
gbabij@highlandbeach.us
Commissioner Peggy Gossett-Seidman
pseidman@highlandbeach.us
Commissioner Evalyn David
edavid@highlandbeach.us
Commissioner John Shoemaker
jshoemaker@highlandbeach.usMichael C. Brown Mayor
mcbrown@hypoluxo.org
Richard J. Roney Vice Mayor
rroney@hypoluxo.org
Linda Allen Council Member
lallen@hypoluxo.org
Bradley R. Doyle Council Member
bdoyle@hypoluxo.org
Robert Leupp Council Member
rleupp@hypoluxo.org
Christine Nagy Council Member
cnagy@hypoluxo.orgJason Haselkorn, Mayor
jhaselkorn@juno-beach.fl.us
Vice Mayor Jim Lyons
jlyons@juno-beach.fl.us
Councilmember Peggy Wheeler
pwheeler@juno-beach.fl.us
Councilmember Stuart Katz
skatz@juno-beach.fl.usTodd Wodraska, Mayor
toddw@jupiter.fl.us
Councilor Jim Kuretski
jimk@jupiter.fl.us
Councilor Ilan Kaufer
ilank@jupiter.fl.us
Councilor Ron Delaney
rond@jupiter.fl.us
Councilor Cameron May
cameronm@jupiter.fl.usMayor Michael O'Rourke
mo'rourke@lakeparkflorida.gov
Commissioner Erin Flaherty
eflaherty@lakeparkflorida.gov
Vice-Mayor Kimberly Glas-Castro
kglas-castro@lakeparkflorida.gov
Commissioner John Linden
jlinden@lakeparkflorida.gov
Commissioner Roger Michaud /
rmichaud@lakeparkflorida.govPam Triolo, Mayor
561-586-1735
ptriolo@lakeworthbeachfl.gov
Scott Maxwell, Commissioner, District 1
561-586-1731
smaxwell@lakeworthbeachfl.gov
Omari Hardy, Commissioner, District 2
561-586-1732
ohardy@lakeworthbeachfl.gov
Andy Amoroso, Commissioner, District 3
561-586-1733
aamoroso@lakeworthbeachfl.gov
Herman Robinson, Commissioner, District 4
561-586-1734
hrobinson@lakeworthbeachfl.govDavid J.Stewart, Mayor
dstewart@lantana.org
Karen Lythgoe, Councilmember
klythgoe@lantana.org
Mark Zeitler, Councilmember
mzeitler@lantana.org
Malcolm Balfour, Vice Mayor Pro Tem
mbalfour@lantana.org
Lynn Moorhouse, D.D.S., Vice Mayor
lmoorhouse@lantana.orgPhillis Maniglia, Councilmember, Seat 1
pmaniglia@loxahatcheegrovesfl.gov
Laura Danowski, Councilmember, Seat 2
ldanowski@loxahatcheegrovesfl.gov
Lisa El-Ramey, Mayor, Seat 3
Lel-ramey@loxahatcheegrovesfl.gov
Robert Shorr, Councilmember, Seat 4
rshorr@loxahatcheegrovesfl.gov
Marg Herzog, Vice Mayor, Seat 5
mherzog@loxahatcheegrovesfl.govSusan Bickel Mayor
sbickel@village-npb.org
Mark Mullinix Vice Mayor
mmullinix@village-npb.org
David Norris President Pro Tem
dnorris@village-npb.org
Deborah Searcy Councilmember
dsearcy@village-npb.org
Darryl Aubrey Councilmember
daubrey@village-npb.orgGail L. Coniglio, Mayor
gconiglio@townofpalmbeach.com
Margaret Zeidman, Council President
mzeidman@townofpalmbeach.com
Bobbie Lindsay, Council President Pro-Tem
blindsay@townofpalmbeach.com
Julie Araskog, Council Member
jaraskog@townofpalmbeach.com
Lew Crampton, Council Member
lcrampton@townofpalmbeach.com
Danielle H. Moore, Council Member
dmoore@townofpalmbeach.comCarl W. Woods, Mayor
cwoods@pbgfl.com
Maria G. Marino, Vice Mayor
mmarino@pbgfl.com
Rachelle A. Litt, Vice Mayor Pro Tem
rlitt@pbgfl.com
Mark T. Marciano, Councilmember
mmarciano@pbgfl.com
Chelsea S. Reed, Councilmember
creed@pbgfl.comRonnie L Felder
(Mayor)
rfelder@rivierabeach.org
Tradrick McCoy
(District 1)
tmccoy@rivierabeach.org
KaShamba Miller-Anderson
(District 2)
kmiller-anderson@rivierabeach.org
Shirley D. Lanier
(District 3)
slanier@rivierabeach.org
Dr. Julia Botel
(District 4)
jbotel@rivierabeach.org
Douglas Lawson
(District 5)
dlawson@rivierabeach.orgFred Pinto, Mayor
fpinto@royalpalmbeach.com
Jeff Hmara, Vice Mayor, Group #1
jhmara@royalpalmbeach.com
Selena Samios, Councilwoman, Group #3
ssamios@royalpalmbeach.com
Jan Rodusky, Councilwoman, Group #4
jrodusky@royalpalmbeach.com
Richard Valuntas, Councilman, Group #2
rvaluntas@royalpalmbeach.comKelly Shoaf, District 1 Commissioner
kshoaf@wpb.org
Cory Neering, District 2 Commissioner
cneering@wpb.org
Christy Fox, District 3 Commissioner
cfox@wpb.org
Joseph Peduzzi, District 4 Commissioner
jpeduzzi@wpb.org
Christina Lambert, District 5 Commissioner
clambert@wpb.org