Time to raise the bar, lose the Styrofoam

They seem such little things, Styrofoam cups, to-go containers or ice

chests. But they can pack an awfully big wallop on the environment.

In the next few weeks, the Newport Beach City Council is expected

to consider a ban on the use of Styrofoam, the trade name for

polystyrene, by the city. If the council does so, it will join other

cities such as San Clemente, Laguna Beach and Huntington Beach, that

have made the ubiquitous, crunchy white substance a little less

commonplace.

The reasons for enacting the ban are plentiful. Some studies have

shown the polystyrene takes 500 years to break down. Environmental

activists say fish and other animals eat the material -- which

obviously has no nutritional value -- and then are too full to eat

food that actually is good for them. And the material makes up a

“significant portion” of trash in the Back Bay and along the beaches,

Newport Beach Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff has said.

The ban also would be relatively easy to put into place. Ceramic

mugs or recyclable material would replace Styrofoam. It would involve

just City Hall, city functions and events that need a special permit

and therefore would not be a restriction on any private business. But

it could act as a model for others to follow.

There seems no good reason not to take this environmentally

sensitive step. As Councilman Steve Rosansky said, “It sets the bar a

little higher, and that’s a good thing.”

And isn’t that what Newport Beach is all about?