ROCKY MOUNT, Va. – Changes are coming to the containers people often use for takeout food and drinks. A ban on expanded polystyrene containers, also known as Styrofoam, takes effect in Virginia on July 1, starting with vendors with more than 20 locations in the commonwealth.
School divisions also received guidance earlier this year that the ban would also apply to them.
While the ban has been years in the making, including school divisions was not part of the original plan. This has left officials scrambling to find alternatives. Franklin County Public Schools is taking advantage of a provision in the law that allows them to ask the Board of Supervisors for a six-month extension.
“I’ve talked to three different vendors, and they have multiple options for us. They’re a little more expensive, but we do have multiple options,” said Heather Snead, coordinator of school nutrition for Franklin County Public Schools. “They’re a little more expensive but we do have multiple options. And we just asked for a waiver so we can have that extra time ... to use the products we have in stock so that we don’t waste taxpayer dollars.”
Snead estimates there are about $7,000 worth of unused Styrofoam materials remaining. So far, some alternatives cost as much as 42 cents per tray compared to 19 cents for a Styrofoam tray.
“We are trying to do better for the planet, so it’s just if we can find a good product which is why I’m meeting with the multiple vendors and also financially, we’re trying to find a good medium in between,” Snead said.
Officials tell me they were initially exempt from the ban, but school divisions were added earlier this year. The schools have asked supervisors for a six-month extension to use what’s already on hand.
The ban was first approved by the General Assembly in 2021 but is just now taking effect. Supporters of the law say Styrofoam is hard to recycle and creates waste that harms the environment.
It fully takes effect next year for all food vendors, including food trucks.