FAYETTEVILLE -- Some restaurant owners say they support the idea behind banning foam containers, but it'll cost customers.
The City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to prohibit restaurants, coffee shops, food trucks, delis and other food-service providers from using expanded polystyrene foam containers, commonly known as Styrofoam. The ban will go into effect May 1.
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The ban applies to foam plates, cups, bowls and clamshell containers. It doesn't apply to packing material or foam products people can buy in stores.
Proponents of the measure say it's necessary to help keep the material out of the environment, particularly waterways. The measure also will help meet the city's environmental goals because expanded polystyrene foam is made from fossil fuels, said Peter Nierengarten, the city's sustainability director.
Council member Teresa Turk sponsored the measure and said the material takes 500 years to decompose. Expanded polystyrene foam by volume makes up about a quarter of the material in the regional landfill, she said.
The material accounted for the second-highest amount of trash collected at the West Fork of the White River in 2014, just behind plastic, Turk said.
"We clearly have a problem here, and I think this would go a very long way in at least reducing our consumption of Styrofoam," she said.
Turk has also encouraged residents to bring their own to-go containers, which is what she often does.
Mike Rohrbach, co-owner of Bocca Italian and Flying Burrito restaurants, said he understands the environmental reasons for the ban. Bocca started using compostable containers about a month ago, and Flying Burrito will use the rest of its foam supply before the May deadline, he said.
However, compostable containers cost more than expanded polystyrene ones, Rohrbach said. They can cost about 25 cents to 40 cents more an item, which adds up with all of the containers given to customers, he said.
Profit margins for restaurants are generally lower compared to other businesses, so incremental costs mean a lot, Rohrbach said.
"I'm for doing it, but it's just another cost for the consumer and the business owner," he said. "The business owner has to absorb that or pass it onto the consumer."
Todd Martin, owner of Southern Food Co., said the restaurant has been sourcing new to-go containers environmentally friendly. He added he's no fan of the foam material. However, he too said other containers cost more.
The city doesn't seem concerned about driving up costs for consumers and small businesses, Martin said.
Adrienne Shaunfield, owner of The Farmer's Table Cafe, said using eco-friendly products has been part of the business model since the beginning. The restaurant uses locally sourced food, which is also more expensive up front, but worth it in the long run, she said.
Shaunfield said her family doesn't get takeout from places using expanded polystyrene foam products. Her family will go to those places now, she said.
"Eco products aren't perfect, especially if they don't get composted, which many don't," Shaunfield said. "That has always been an issue for me. It's not a perfect solution but still better than petroleum-based products."
Nierengarten said containers marketed as compostable won't biodegrade in someone's backyard compost pile, but the city can process them at its compost facility. A drop-off box for compostables and food waste should be set up at the collection centers at 1560 S. Happy Hollow Road and 755 W. North St. in about a month or so, he said.
The city hopes to provide residential curbside pickup for food-waste and compostable material in the next few years, Nierengarten said.
NW News on 11/10/2019