Single use foam ban advances once again

The Virginia General Assembly unveiled on Thursday their negotiated budget which includes language to move forward the effective date of Virginia’s single use foam phase out to July 1, 2025. The original, bipartisan ban from Delegate Betsy Carr was set to go into effect in 2023 for large chain establishments. 

The phase out was delayed through the budget less than a year before it was set to go into effect. The new agreed upon language moves the effective dates closer to the original timeline and is part of the biennium budget heading to Governor Glenn Youngkin’s desk. 

In 2021, Virginia became just the sixth state to pass a ban on single use foam cups and take out containers. Several other states have since passed similar bans that have already gone into effect. Single use foam or expanded polystyrene foam is particularly harmful to the environment and one of Virginia’s most commonly collected littered items. 

Elly Boehmer, director of Environment Virginia, issued the following statement:

We are thrilled to see Virginia legislator’s confirm their support for this popular, bipartisan ban. Single use foam cups and take out containers break apart easily into tiny particles called microplastics and persist in the environment forever. In fact, every bit of polystyrene ever made is still out there. 

Whether you are driving down a country road in rural Virginia, kayaking down the James River or walking through a city park, you have seen the impacts of plastic pollution and how much single use foam contributes to this issue. The solution to the massive amounts of plastic waste in our environment is actually pretty simple: We need to ban or restrict the worst offenders, including polystyrene. 

We applaud Delegate Betsy Carr for championing this effort for years and the Virginia General Assembly for once again confirming their support for a meaningful solution and the implementation of this critical law.