# Phase-out of polystyrene foam

In the late 20th and early 21st century, there has been a global movement towards the phase-out of polystyrene foam as a single use plastic (SUP). Early bans of polystyrene foam intended to eliminate ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), formerly a major component.
Expanded polystyrene, often termed Styrofoam, is a contributor of microplastics from both land and maritime activities. Polystyrene is not biodegradeable but is susceptible to photo-oxidation, and degrades slowly in the ocean as microplastic marine debris. Animals do not recognize polystyrene foam as an artificial material, may mistake it for food, and show toxic effects after substantial exposure.
Full or partial bans of expanded and polystyrene foam commonly target disposable food packaging. Such bans have been enacted through national legislation globally, and also at sub-national or local levels in many countries.

## Legislation around the world
### National legislation

China banned expanded polystyrene takeout/takeaway containers and tableware in 1999, but later revoked the policy in 2013 amidst industry lobbying. Haiti banned foam food containers in 2012 to reduce waste in canals and roadside drains. In 2019, the European Parliament voted 560 to 35 to ban all food and beverage containers made from expanded polystyrene throughout the European Union member states. Canada amended its 'Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999' in 2022 to prohibit foodservice ware made of expanded or extruded polystyrene, and also polyvinyl chloride, black colored plastics, or oxo-degraded plastics.

### Summary

| Country | Legislation | Year |
| Andorra | Ban | 2023 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Ban | 2017–2019 |
| Austria (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| Bahamas | Ban | 2020 |
| Barbados | Ban | 2020 |
| Belgium (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| Belize | Ban | 2019 |
| Bulgaria (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| Canada | Ban | 2023 |
| Chile | Ban | 2022 |
| Costa Rica | Ban | 2021 |
| Croatia (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| Cyprus (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| Czech Republic (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| Denmark (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| Dominica | Ban | 2018 |
| Ecuador | Ban | 2022 |
| Estonia (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| Fiji | Ban | 2021 |
| Finland (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| France (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| Germany (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| Greece (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| Grenada | Ban | 2018 |
| Guyana | Ban | 2016 |
| Haiti | Ban | 2012 |
| Hong Kong | Ban | 2024 |
| Hungary (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| Iceland | Ban | 2021 |
| India | Ban | 2022 |
| Ireland (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| Italy (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| Jamaica | Ban | 2020 |
| Latvia (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| Lithuania (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| Luxembourg (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| Macau | Ban | 2021 |
| Maldives | Ban | 2022 |
| Malta (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| Marshall Islands | Ban | 2017 |
| Mauritius | Ban | 2021 |
| Micronesia | Ban | 2020 |
| Monaco | Ban | 2021 |
| Netherlands (EU) Constituent Countries  Aruba Special Municipalities  Bonaire  Saba  Sint Eustatius | Ban | 2021 (NL) 2019 (AW) 2022 (BO) 2022 (SA) 2021 (SE) |
| New Zealand Associated States  Niue | Ban | 2022 (NZ) 2018 (NU) |
| Norway | Ban | 2021 |
| Papua New Guinea | Ban | 2018 |
| Peru | Ban | 2021 |
| Poland (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| Portugal (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| Romania (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Ban | 2024 |
| Saint Lucia | Ban | 2019 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Ban | 2017 |
| Samoa | Ban | 2021 |
| Seychelles | Ban | 2017 |
| Slovakia (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| Slovenia (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| Spain (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| Sri Lanka | Ban | 2021 |
| Suriname | Ban | 2019 |
| Sweden (EU) | Ban | 2021 |
| Taiwan | Ban | 2022 |
| Thailand | Ban | 2022 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Ban | 2019 |
| Tuvalu | Ban | 2019 |
| United Kingdom Great Britain and Northern Ireland  England  Northern Ireland  Scotland  Wales Overseas Territories  Anguilla  Turks and Caicos Islands | Ban | 2023 (ENG) 2021 (NIR) 2022 (SCT) 2023 (WLS) 2019 (AI) 2019 (TC) |
| Vanuatu | Ban | 2018 |
| Zimbabwe | Ban | 2017 |

### Subnational legislation

In Australia, over 97% of the population live in an area that bans expanded polystyrene. Between 2021-2023, the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, and Western Australia enacted bans.
Nigeria's states of Lagos and Abia introduced bans in January 2024, with an initial transition period of three weeks. The state of Oyo introduced a ban in March 2024.
Municipal bans in the Philippines are in effect in Bailen, Boracay, Caloocan, Cordova, El Nido, Las Piñas, Makati, Mandaluyong City, Muntinlupa, Quezon City, and Tacloban.
In the United Arab Emirates, the municipal government of Dubai announced a ban affecting polystyrene in 2025, and all single-use plastic food containers in 2026.

## Phaseout in the United States

As of February 2025, 11 U.S. states and two territories have passed statewide legislation to explicitly ban polystyrene foam:
* In 2019, Maryland was the first state to enact a ban, which went into effect on October 1, 2020. Bans were also passed that year in Maine and Vermont, with both states' laws taking effect on July 1, 2021.
* In 2020, New York passed a ban that took effect on January 1, 2022, while New Jersey passed a ban that took effect on May 4, 2022.
* In 2021, Colorado passed a ban that took effect on January 1, 2024. Virginia passed a ban on polystyrene food containers coming into force in July 2025 (for larger businesses) and July 2026 (for businesses with less than 20 locations). Washington also passed a polystyrene ban, effective starting in June 2023, with food serviceware prohibited starting June 1, 2024.
* In 2023, Delaware, Oregon and Rhode Island all signed bans into law. Provisions in Oregon and Rhode Island took effect on January 1, 2025, with Delaware's statute entering into force in July 2025.
* Washington, D.C. banned polystyrene foam takeout containers on January 1, 2016. The ban was expanded on January 1, 2021, to include the retail sale of polystyrene foam.
* American Samoa banned the import, sale, and distribution of polystyrene foam containers on February 6, 2024, taking effect 60 days later.
In Hawaii, a de facto ban is in effect after every county enacted polystyrene bans except state-administered Kalawao County. Bans in Hawaii County took effect July 2019, followed by Kauai County, Maui County, and Honolulu County in 2022. Maui separately banned polystyrene foam coolers, and the sale or rental of disposable bodyboards in 2022.
In California, polystyrene is de jure banned as of January 2025, resulting from the state's legislature passing SB54 in June 2022 as the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act. The law codifies extended producer responsibility (EPR) requirements for plastics, including a requirement that polystyrene be banned if recycling rates do not reach 25% by 2025. Recycling rates averaged 6% at passage, leading some to call the law a 'de facto ban', anticipating an inability to comply. As of February 2025, CalRecycle, the state agency regulating SB 54, had not announced enforcement mechanisms to begin implementation of the law.

### Local legislation

Local bans have been enacted elsewhere, including in many large and small cities within the US:
* Alaska — In Alaska, the towns of Bethel, Cordova, and Seward have enacted bans.
* California — At least 128 cities in California have an existing polystyrene ban in some form. As of 2023, 12 counties — namely Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Sonoma have bans affecting the general public. Additionally, 27 municipalities in other counties, namely Arcata, Camarillo, Carlsbad, Carpinteria, Dana Point, Davis, Del Mar, Encinitas, Goleta, Imperial Beach, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Oceanside, Ojai, Oxnard, Palm Springs, Port Hueneme, San Clemente, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Solana Beach, South Lake Tahoe, Thousand Oaks, Truckee, Ventura, Vista, and Yountville have bans. Together these laws cover over 20.6 million people, or about 53% of the state's population. The city of Berkeley passed the nation's first polystyrene foodware ban in 1988, while also requiring all disposable foodware to be degradable or recyclable.
* Connecticut — Hamden, Groton, Norwalk, Stamford, and Westport have all enacted bans. Hamden enacted the state's first ban in 1989, and continues to retain its original ordinance.
* Georgia — South Fulton banned single-use plastics in 2019. Atlanta banned polystyrene at city-owned buildings, including Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
* Illinois — Oak Park and River Forest have enacted bans. In 2023, the state legislature passed a ban affecting state agencies and universities.
* Massachusetts — At least 66 municipalities have bans on polystyrene, including Abington, Acton, Amherst, Andover, Arlington, Athol, Attleboro, Brookline, Buckland, Cambridge, Chatham, Chelmsford, Concord, Dennis, Eastham, Easthampton, Essex, Fairhaven, Falmouth, Georgetown, Gloucester, Grafton, Great Barrington, Greenfield, Hadley, Hamilton, Hanson, Ipswich, Lee, Lenox, Lexington, Lincoln, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Marblehead, Maynard, Medford, Melrose, Nantucket, Newton, Northborough, Northampton, Orleans, Pittsfield, Provincetown, Raynham, Reading, Revere, Rockport, Salem, Saugus, Shrewsbury, Somerville, South Hadley, Stockbridge, Sudbury, Swampscott, Upton, Wayland, Wellfleet, Westborough, Westfield, Westford, Whitman, Williamstown, Winthrop, and Yarmouth.
* Minnesota — Minneapolis enacted a ban in 1989, and amended the largely unenforced ban in 2015. In 2017, the city of St. Louis Park effectively banned single-use polystyrene after mandating compostable, reusable, or locally recyclable packaging. Saint Paul enacted a similar provision in 2022.
* Montana — Bozeman citizens passed a polystyrene ban through a citizen initiative in November 2024 by a vote of 63%, after supporters of the ballot initiative prevailed in a District Court lawsuit regarding HB407, a state law preempting local single-use plastic bans. A Montana Supreme Court ruling in December 2024 overturned the initial District Court ruling, finding that preemptive laws apply to local ordinances, whether passed by municipal governments or citizen initiatives. A separate District Court lawsuit remains pending, whether local governments have authority to uphold 'clean and healthful environments' as stated in the Montana State Constitution. If enacted, Bozeman's ordinance would take effect on May 1, 2025.
* New Hampshire — Portsmouth enacted the first ban in New Hampshire in 2020.
* New Mexico — Santa Fe County passed a ban on serving food, or packing eggs, baked goods, or produce in polystyrene containers, affecting unincorporated parts of the county.
* Pennsylvania — The Boroughs of Ambler, Narberth, Newtown, Phoenixville, Swarthmore, and Townships of Montgomery, Newtown, Solebury, Tredyffrin, Upper Merion, Upper Moreland, and Uwchlan enacted bans.
* South Carolina — The city of Charleston adopted an ordinance in 2018, with the surrounding Charleston County adopting a similar ordinance the year after.

### Proposed legislation

As of February 2025, proposed legislation banning polystyrene has previously passed at least one legislative chamber in two states and one territory.
In Connecticut, SB 118 passed the state Senate in April 2022, but died when the session ended. In Illinois, the state House passed HB2376 on March 21, 2023, which also died when the session ended. The territory of the Northern Mariana Islands passed HB21-89 in its House of Representatives in 2020.
In September 2021, Florida introduced a proposed phaseout of polystyrene foam food packaging. Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried, whose Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services oversees food safety in Florida, proposed a rule to phase out polystyrene in 40,000 grocery stores, food markets, convenience stores, and gas stations that the agency regulates in Florida. The Florida Legislature will consider the proposed rule in 2022.
| State / Territory | Year Enacted | Year Implemented | Details | References |
| American Samoa | 2024 | 2024 | Covers all polystyrene foam containers. Affected products unsold six months after the law's implementation may be subject to confiscation. | A.S.C.A. § 25.23 |
| Colorado | 2021 | 2024 | Covers ready-to-eat food containers (including hinged containers, plates, bowls, cups, trays) from retail food establishments. | CRS 25-17-506 |
| Delaware | 2023 | 2025 | Covers food service packaging (including hinged or lidded containers, plates, cups, bowls, trays) from food establishments including restaurants, grocery stores, and ice manufacturers. Excludes containers, including coolers and ice chests, when used for raw meat, seafood, eggs, fruits, or vegetables. Takes effect on July 1, 2025. | 16 Del. C. § 3001Q |
| District of Columbia | 2014 | 2016 | Covers food service products (including containers, plates, hot/cold cups) from food service businesses, including restaurants, cafes, grocery stores, food trucks, and cafeterias. Includes meat/vegetable trays, egg cartons, and other polystyrene items used to sell or provide food. Ban expanded in 2021 to include sale of packing peanuts and foam coolers. | D.C. Reg. § 21-2301 & D.C.ACT23-223 |
| Maine | 2019 | 2021 | Includes food containers from retail food and eating establishments, factories, farmers' markets, and retirement/nursing homes. Covers items packed outside Maine, but shipped to the state. Polystyrene raw meat/seafood trays and egg cartons banned starting 2025. Foam coolers for seafood exempt. | 38 M.R.S.A. § 15-A |
| Maryland | 2019 | 2020 | No person may sell, and no business/school may sell or serve polystyrene food containers (containers, plates, hot/cold cups, trays). Includes egg cartons (except if shipped empty into Maryland to pack eggs, or if eggs are packed in the state for Maryland consumers). Excludes containers for raw meat/seafood, nonfoam polystyrene, or food prepackaged in polystyrene foam. | Md. Code Ann., Env. § 9-2201 to 9–2207 |
| New Jersey | 2020 | 2022 | Includes food containers and serviceware (containers, plates, hot/cold cups, trays, cutlery). Includes foam egg cartons. Containers for raw meat/seafood, cups 2oz or less, long-handled polystyrene spoons, and food prepackaged in polystyrene foam banned starting 2024. | Title 13:1E-99.126 et al. |
| New York | 2020 | 2022 | Includes food containers and serviceware (clamshell, bowl, carton, lid, plate, trays) from any food service provider, retail food store, deli, grocer, hospital, adult care/nursing home, or school. Includes packing peanuts/loose fill, sold by any manufacturer or store. Excludes containers for raw meat/seafood, food prepackaged in polystyrene foam, and rigid polystyrene. | N.Y. Consol. Laws § 30-43-B, Art. 27, Tit. 30 (2020) |
| Oregon | 2023 | 2025 | Prohibits the sale, offer for sale, distribution, or use of single-use polystyrene coolers, packing peanuts, or containers for serving prepared food. Excludes use for raw egg, meat, fish, or produce. Provisions took effect starting January 1, 2025. | ORS § 36A.459 |
| Rhode Island | 2023 | 2025 | Prohibits the use of disposable polystyrene serviceware for prepared food, such as containers, cups, lids, or stirrers. Excludes coolers or ice chests. Provisions took effect starting January 1, 2025. | R.I. Gen. Laws § 21–27.3-2 |
| Vermont | 2019 | 2021 | Includes food containers (plates, trays, hot/cold cups), and foam egg cartons. Excludes containers for raw meat/seafood, food prepackaged in polystyrene foam, and food packaged outside Vermont. | 10 V.S.A. § 6696 |
| Virginia | 2021 | 2025 | Includes any food containers for retail food establishments. Originally set to take effect in 2023/2025, implementation was delayed to 2028/2030 in 2022, and moved forward to 2025/2026 in 2024. | Va. Code Ann. § 10.1–1424.3 & 2022 HB30, Item 377#1c |
| Washington | 2021 | 2023 | Sale of packing peanuts/void fill banned starting June 2023. Beginning June 2024, includes any food containers (plates, bowls, trays, clamshell containers, hot/cold cups) and portable foam coolers. Excludes containers for raw meat/seafood, eggs, and produce. Excludes coolers for drugs or federally-defined medical/biological materials, or for shipping perishables from a wholesale retail establishment. | RCW 70A.245.070 |