Styrofoam cups as well as food containers like clamshells will be banned in New York starting in January. They already are banned in some towns and counties.

ALBANY - New York's ban on expanded polystyrene foam containers begins Saturday.

The material, often marketed as Styrofoam, is used in food packaging but is a major contributor to environmental litter, polluting waterways and harming wildlife.

The material breaks apart easily but takes hundreds of years to biodegrade, making it susceptible to it becoming micro-plastics, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. 

The material is also not accepted by most recycling programs in the state because it is difficult to recycle, easily contaminates the recycling, and "is often soiled," according to the DEC.

The statewide ban applies to all expanded polystyrene foam used as "loose fill" -- so-called packing peanuts -- and containers used in food service, including bowls, cartons, hinged "clamshell" containers, cups, lids, plates, trays and any other container generally considered single-use.

Expanded polystyrene foam can retain heat, does not leak and is cheaper than other packaging material, making it a prime candidate for temporary food storage. The DEC is conducting outreach to food service providers to inform them of the new law.

Food service providers must find alternate packaging materials, but supply-chain issues are making aluminum -- a potential replacement for the material -- hard to come by.

Nearly two-thirds of New Yorkers already live in communities that ban the material, according to state DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos.

Albany banned the use of the materials by chains in 2013 and in all food-service establishments in 2018.

A provision in the new regulations allows nonprofits and government agencies that provide food to low-income people at no cost to continue using the material.

After the law takes effect Jan. 1, the DEC will be releasing its final regulations in the coming months.

Roger Hannigan Gilson covers Columbia and Greene counties for the Times Union. He has worked as a reporter in the northern Hudson Valley since 2014 and spends most of his additional time outdoors. Drop him a note at roger.hannigangilson@timesunion.com.