Dive Brief:

• A city council amendment to the proposed polystyrene ban would give New York City a year to determine if foam can be recycled in an environmentally responsible way that is also economically viable.
• Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway stated that it would cost approximately $70 million annually and call for 1,000 more sanitation trucks in order to collect, sort and process the foam containers for recycling.
• Council Member Diane Reyna and Robert Jackson introduced a competing bill in November that would not alter the city budget or call for a feasibility study in order to adopt foam recycling measures.

Dive Insight:

The polystyrene industry has spent almost $1 million dollars for lobbying efforts, while Ariane Dart, wife of the owner of the Dart Container Corporation, made donations to various political campaigns, including that of Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio. The city is arguing that the additional fleet of sanitation trucks would pose a threat to the public, as indicated by a 1999 report that found the vehicles had the highest fatality rate for pedestrians and cyclists.