Industry Groups Sue to Stop NYC’s Plastic Foam Ban

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s decision to ban plastic foam containers such as to-go cups and meal trays was politically motivated, out of step with a New York City law and should be stopped by a state Supreme Court judge, according to a coalition of restaurant, manufacturing and lobbying groups that filed a lawsuit Thursday.

The ban, an environmental initiative spearheaded by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, was set to take effect July 1 after a yearlong inquiry designed to study the effectiveness of recycling dirty food containers, egg shell cartons and other polystyrene materials.

The ban would make New York the largest city in the country to prohibit the foam containers many environmental groups say clog landfills.

But a recycling proposal that had been considered was scrapped after a closed-door meeting at City Hall, according to court papers filed by attorney Randy Mastro.

“This determination was not made by the Sanitation Commissioner following an objective review, as local law required,” Mastro, a deputy mayor under Rudy Giuliani. “Rather, it was imposed on her by City Hall to further the political agenda of a mayor who vowed as a candidate to ban foam.”

This article appeared in print on page 1 of the May 1st, 2015 edition of Hamodia.