Advertisement
Called an environmental impact report, it will analyze the impact of the new law on pollution, traffic and other elements of the environment. It is expected to be complete by this summer, so enforcement of the ban could resume.
City officials have not provided any reason why they waited a full year to launch the analysis.
Leaders of the local environmental community this week hailed the city’s decision to move forward. They also repeated previous predictions that the analysis will determine the ban has a positive impact on the environment, not a negative one.
Polystyrene is not biodegradable and has been blamed for poisoning fish and other marine life and damaging the health of people who eat seafood. The material continuously breaks into steadily smaller pieces, allowing it to enter local waterways and easily get consumed by wildlife.