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Judge overturns NYC Ban On Plastic Foam Containers

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas
Published September 22, 2015 at 4:33 PM EDT
Joefaust, Wikimedia Commons
Credit Joefaust, Wikimedia Commons

A New York Supreme Court judge has overturned New York City's ban on plastic foam containers.

In a decision made public Tuesday, Margaret Chan found the city Department of Sanitation's commissioner's order banning the product to be arbitrary and capricious. The ban was spearheaded by then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg and supported by current Mayor Bill de Blasio . It went into effect July 1.

Officials estimate 28,500 tons of dirty plastic foam end up in city landfills every year.

In April, a group of manufacturers, recyclers and restaurants sued to stop the ban. They argued the containers could be effectively recycled in a way that saves the city money.

Chan found the city could save $400,000 recycling 40 percent of its wasted plastic foam.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.

Copyright 2015 WAMC Northeast Public Radio
Dave Lucas
Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
See stories by Dave Lucas

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