The styrofoam container is the trademark of the takeout meal, but Vancouver is getting set to eliminate it. For the new year, the city has set a resolution to reduce single-use waste with a ban on all foam takeout containers starting January 1, 2020.
The ban comes a year after New York City’s foam ban, and is part of a city-wide effort to go zero-waste by 2040. Other policies the city plans to institute include outlawing plastic straws this coming April and a ban on plastic bags in January 2021.
The city says it is not too concerned with backlash and the citizens are ready for this environmentally forward change. The city’s website has a host of suggestions for restaurants and consumers to make the transition, including bringing their own reusable containers to bring home leftovers.
Even if you don’t live in Vancouver or New York, we encourage you to adopt waste reduction habits in your own life such as asking all leftovers to be put in one box or encouraging your local restaurants to use compostable containers.
