Hearing today on Mpls. proposed takeout container ban

Polystyrene foam container
First-term Minneapolis City Council Member Andrew Johnson eats Indian food out of a container he hopes to ban. It's made of polystyrene foam, which is difficult to recycle.
Curtis Gilbert / MPR News

Minneapolis residents with opinions on whether the city should ban plastic foam cups and takeout containers will have a chance to weigh in today on the issue.

Minneapolis council members will meet at 1:30 p.m. to discuss a proposal to ban restaurants from selling food in containers made of expanded polystyrene, a type of plastic foam best known by the brand name Styrofoam.

Minneapolis first tried to ban the plastic foam 25 years ago. Local grocery stores denounced the proposal in radio ads.

While that resolution is still on the books, the foam containers survived because the prohibitions have never been enforced. St. Paul has a similar prohibition that also goes unenforced.

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More than 100 U.S. cities and towns have passed bans since Minneapolis' first effort.

The proposal that Minneapolis council members will review today only targets foam containers at restaurants.

If you go

Proposal to ban foam restaurant containers
Minneapolis Health, Environment & Community Engagement Committee
1:30 p.m., Room 317, Minneapolis City Hall
350 S 5th St., Minneapolis