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Government

Guess What Bloomberg Might Ban Next…

Feb. 7, 2013 11:00pm Jason Howerton

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg Considering Ban on Styrafoam Cups

NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 06: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Credit: Getty Images

NEW YORK (TheBlaze/AP) — Could plastic foam containers get 86′d from the menu of takeout food options in the nation’s biggest city?

A sanitation official said Wednesday the idea is actually under discussion.

Polystyrene foam, sometimes sold under the brand name Styrofoam, has long been popular among restaurateurs for lightweight, heat-retaining containers, but environmentalists complain it takes years to break down in trash. Some communities around the country have barred eateries from using to-go containers made of it.

As New York City officials prepare a report on how to double the city’s residential recycling rate, the foam is “one of the things that you have to look at,” Department of Sanitation Deputy Commissioner Ron Gonen said by phone Wednesday.

“It may or may not be a component of the overall plan,” due in a few weeks, said Gonen, who oversees recycling and environmental sustainability initiatives.

shutterstock.com

Mayor Michael Bloomberg last year set a goal of recycling 30 percent of the city’s household trash by 2017, up from about 15 percent now. City Hall is “always willing to take a look at new ways to reduce waste that can’t be recycled or reused,” spokesman John McCarthy said Wednesday.

It costs the city an average of $86 per ton to landfill some 2 million tons of garbage a year; by contrast, the city nets a payment of at least $10 a ton for recycling paper and about $14 a ton for recycling glass and plastic, Gonen said.

“The environmental benefits of recycling are obvious,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is make clear to everyone why it’s important from an economic perspective.”

His agency is looking at a range of ideas for boosting recycling and trimming trash. One notion could be expanding test programs for separating and collecting organic waste, for instance.

A similar proposal has stalled in New York’s City Council in recent years, and restaurateurs aren’t eager to see it take on new life.

“We shouldn’t start banning products until we have done a more full analysis of the costs associated, not only with government but for small businesses,” New York State Restaurant Association spokesman Andrew Moesel said Wednesday. “Now is not the time to continue to put more regulations and cost burdens on an industry that is already struggling to make a profit.”

Bloomberg is a fan of banning things. He recently banned big gulps, semi-automatic rifles, magazines with more than seven rounds and now Styrofoam cups are apparently on the chopping block.

Featured image via AP

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Comments (213)

thegodfather
Posted on February 8, 2013 at 8:19am
Quit bitchin you New Yorkers…….Just stuff that leftover chili in your pocket. The mayor knows what’s best for you.

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huey6367
Posted on February 8, 2013 at 8:16am
So the city makes money on the recyclabels. How much more will it cost the citizens of New York City to not use Styrofoam?

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Bohump
Posted on February 8, 2013 at 8:07am
He can’t ban Reporting the NEWS ‘, … The Denocrat’s have already did that !!!

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dontcensorme
Posted on February 8, 2013 at 8:06am
NYC is getting exactly what they want so let them down in their liberalism!
This book I read tells how Americans will be victims of this all, its a must read.

http://www.amazon.com/Collapse-prepping-Disaster-Survival-ebook/dp/B007V1SN78/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360328402&sr=8-1&keywords=the+collapse+of+america+what+the+left

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Uechi
Posted on February 8, 2013 at 8:00am
NYC deserves everything it gets from Bloomie if they don’t stand up to him on every issue.The man is a typical out of control Progressive who has been allowed to run amuck.

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walnutportconservative
Posted on February 8, 2013 at 7:48am
Five years ago, I would have been more understanding of this. But after seeing how the environment has been politicized and lied about, I now enjoy the heat I get from burning these cups in my COAL STOVE… major BTUs per dozen cups.

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Magyar
Posted on February 8, 2013 at 7:40am
So Bloomburp wants everything to be recyclable—

Perfect! Recycle HIM…

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Sicialian Eyeball
Posted on February 8, 2013 at 7:14am
Flash mobs attacking news stands daily and this clown is worried about styrofoam cups?

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blackfeather
Posted on February 8, 2013 at 7:08am
he might ban snow??

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PlanetReality
Posted on February 8, 2013 at 7:02am
New york deserves what they vote it!!

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ObserverOnTheHill
Posted on February 8, 2013 at 7:00am
I don’t support the ban but do support educating people about the dangers of the stuff. Do a little research yourself and you will conclude you don’t want to drink or eat anything that’s served in styrofoam. When people know how bad the stuff is the free market will force the necessary changes upon the food industry as people refuse to purchase anything served in it.

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Hausmaus
Posted on February 8, 2013 at 6:47am
This is what happens when we elect morons, and jackasses.

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GuruMeditation
Posted on February 8, 2013 at 6:41am
Surely it’s recyclable so the “takes years to break down” line doesn’t work. Bloomberg is a habitual ‘Banner’.

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OlefromMN
Posted on February 8, 2013 at 6:33am
Bloomberg appears to believe their is an ideal level of fitness and appearance. I remember there was this guy once who had similar thoughts but he narrowed it down to simply an ideal race. If memory serves me right, things ultimately turned real ugly and it didn’t work out too well for the millions he had influence over.

Wake up New York!!!

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M24
Posted on February 8, 2013 at 6:27am
It looks like New Yorkers Are Just Fine with A Communist Dictator Shows what Kind Of People They Really Are.

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ree758
Posted on February 8, 2013 at 6:11am
Time to ban big government

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streetrodder
Posted on February 8, 2013 at 6:04am
I hope NY keeps re electing him, that way he wont move anyplace else.

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carl_in_ohio
Posted on February 8, 2013 at 5:51am
I actually think this is a good idea. Styrofoam is not good to use.
I would add that an “alternative” material should be recommended.

Is it a “nanny” state, when one will take action? sometimes, someone needs to say “ok, we’re going this direction.” and that’s what he’s doing.

if you don’t like it, vote him out of office.
I think its a good idea – just make a good alternative container suggestion.

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Warphead
Posted on February 8, 2013 at 5:46am
Waitress, Uh sorry I meant server person or whatever. Uh, I asked for a to go box. Why did you give me a paper bag that’s dripping? Oh, Sir that must be your soup. You better hurry on home before it all drips out, hee, hee, ha.
But hey, if you really want to help the world by banning something, ban those crappy cheap plastic grocery bags. I call them grocery condoms & I hate them. Not because of any environmental reasons, although there are plenty, but because they suck at what they are supposed to be used for. They can only hold very few items because they are too small & too weak. They will not contain your groceries when driving them home. And if you tie the tops so your items wont come out and roll around all over the car then the whole bag rolls around the car like misshapen football. I hate them because they are worse than useless. Worse than useless is something that not only doesn’t perform for what it was intended but actually makes the job intended more difficult. Give me the old paper bags any day. They offer stability and functionality as they can be used for other things after successfully getting your groceries home. They can hold a substantial amount of items more than the grocery condoms. The only drawback is that the teenage baggers are completely stumped when it comes to filling them. Unlike the grocery condom, you just can’t mindlessly drop items in. A thinking mind has to decipher shapes, sizes & weight & then arrange in the bag. A lost art it seems.

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- carl_in_ohio
  Posted on February 8, 2013 at 5:53am
  I agree.
  what would be an “alternative” container that people would use?
  what if people had their own container? or they buy a container and reuse it?
  
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- Warphead
  Posted on February 8, 2013 at 7:54am
  Ohio Carl I believe the alternative for the Styrofoam containers has already been invented and is in use. It is similar to the Styrofoam in size, shape and construction but is made from a biodegradable corrugated cardboard material. It has insulation properties but not as good as the Styrofoam. A little thought could easily fix the insulation issue. Maybe a very thin Mylar inner coating or something similar. As for my arch enemy, “The Plastic Grocery Condom” I would like to see the plain old brown paper bag make a come back. It is biodegradable, made from a renewable resource, does not entangle wildlife, does not kill wildlife when ingested, won’t smother babies if they put one over their head, won’t toast an automobile engine because it can’t get sucked up off the road, like the feather lite plastic bags, and up into the engine compartment where it blocks air flow across the radiator, does not get immediately thrown away after use and last but certainly not least, they securely hold your groceries from store to car, to home without spilling their contents all throughout your car’s trunk or back seat. When I was growing up all we had to use for trash bags was the paper grocery bag. I use them to store items, trash bags, starting fires for the grill and wood stove. Why we went to an oil based plastic bag I’ll never know. What I do know is that by comparison the brown paper bag is far more eco-friendly, has more uses, and outright performs better than the plastic.
  
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- guz75
  Posted on February 8, 2013 at 9:02am
  I can tell you from experience that the paper alternatives (for coffee at least) add about 2-3 cents to the price at point of sale. I guess replacements for larger styrofoam containers for food would be a little more. Realistically if you run a good business and look after your customers, they’re not going to walk away over 3 cents.
  
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PoliticallyRightUs.Com
Posted on February 8, 2013 at 5:23am
Forget about working on a plan to bring jobs into NYC, instead lets waste our time (and tax payer money) with stupid stuff like banning coke and Styrofoam!
Idiots!!!

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- Warphead
  Posted on February 8, 2013 at 6:01am
  The dumbing down of America is real and it is working better than the evil geniuses that started it ever hoped in their wildest dreams. So this dumbing down of America gave us the likes Bloomberg. Terrible. A truly terrible thing. But hey we have worse problems. The dumbed down America gave us a population that would vote a Bloomberg as their leader. Can it get any worse? Can you imagine how dumbed down a society could get. I mean, they might become so dumb that they elect a president that has a hidden shady past, hangs out with known terrorists, admits to being a socialist (a Nazi), has several fake social security numbers, violates the nations constitution & appoints a social misfit clown as his VP. Surely they couldn’t get that dumb, could they? I mean the only thing dumber than that would be to vote for that president for a second time. It isn’t possible. I’ll never believe it from my fellow Americans, no matter how dumb they get.
  
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chitstirrer
Posted on February 8, 2013 at 5:19am
Heil Bloomberg!

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liltexasgal
Posted on February 8, 2013 at 5:14am
Why don’t people in New York just defy the regulations in mass and get a civil liberties lawyer to defend them? I don’t know how anyone can stand to live under this kind of abuse.

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GrandpaOf4
Posted on February 8, 2013 at 4:43am
ya know. I pay EXTRA to get potting soil for my pepper and tomato plant garden that I grow in my green house for the privilege of having little bit of foam in the soil to keep it aerated. Not to mention I believe I can find that material used in half of the appliances in my house. Refrigerator, air conditioner, microwave oven, there are probably other places. What sort of a lune bans something that is basically inert and is used as an isolating material in so many things. Not to mention packages that are delivered by the US postal service etc filled with foam peanuts or custom protective packing. Honestly it is time to get out of the north east from Maine to mid-VA. This area has become as nutty as CA. I think maybe sea water causes insanity because it seems like if you are near the coastline you have lost your mental capacity to make rational decisions. Except for some reason the Gulf doesn’t affect people in that way. Strange. I’m still trying to figure out what pollutant it is that causes people to think the way this whack-job does. There must be something in the water. There has to be something depleting people’s mental capacity up there.

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- carl_in_ohio
  Posted on February 8, 2013 at 5:55am
  Grandpa,
  have you ever been to a landfill?
  ever hear of “mount trashmore” in Virginia Beach??
  
  we produce so much trash daily.
  
  Report this comment
media-bias-steals-elections
Posted on February 8, 2013 at 4:40am
A big gulp is my right to assemble with others that think this Mayor is a civil right abusing tyrant?

What do regulations do? Mayor Bloomberg is under no obligation to prove in court that over the next 40 years, you might be the exception to the Nazi “like” scientist theory, that drinking a big gulp without a jock strap, could result in baldness, or ?? All you male Americans, you are here by guilty of the crime against humanity, for drinking a big gulp, without wearing a jock strap, which contributes to the need for us to plant trees and landscaping, so people can take their minds off looking at your bald head, and if we are lucky, we might watch a squirrel fall of the tree and get run over by a silent bus?

Mayor Bloomberg, we know why you want to video tape the squirrels getting run over by your electric vehicles, you say it is terrorism prevention, really?

Seriously, regulation by politicians is surrendering your civil right to be a citizen, by a tyrannnical system designed to make it financially discouraging to question these tyrants, even though they are basically saying, we don’t care what your business plan, or where your profit margin is, or that we are recording everything you do with no obligation to tell you how, why, where, when, or what it will be used for today, tomorrow, or when you apply for dangerous medical procedures in a few decades?

I am not concerned with a foam cup, or cold coffee, but tyrants?

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Gladileftcalifornia
Posted on February 8, 2013 at 4:35am
I can’t wait to see who New Yorkers vote for next. They’re as bad as California.

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