Both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly passed a bill on Friday that would ban the use of disposable foam food and beverage containers in state facilities. The bill now awaits action by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
SB 0058 says that state agencies and departments will not purchase disposable food service containers that are entirely or partially made from polystyrene foam, commonly called Styrofoam, starting Jan. 1, 2025. Vendors that contract with state agencies may not distribute foam products starting on Jan. 1, 2026, or at the renewal of their next contracts, whichever occurs later. Instead, vendors will be required to offer customers only compostable or recyclable food ware.
Opposition to the bill largely came from Republicans who expressed concerns about negative impacts to businesses, considering foam products generally are less expensive and switching to alternatives could raise costs. Democrats largely applauded the environmental effects of reducing the use of a plastic product that can end up in waterways, including the adjacent Great Lakes.
“I hear from constituents in my district regularly about their desire for the Illinois General Assembly to adopt a stronger leadership role in reducing plastic waste in our state, particularly single-use plastic,” State Sen. Laura Fine, a bill co-sponsor, said in a statement.
Similar legislation, HB 2376, that would have banned restaurants throughout the state from selling or distributing foam food service items passed in the House along party lines — with no Republican support — and stalled in the Senate earlier this month.
State Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, a bill co-sponsor, said in a statement that it has “been a long process” advancing the legislation for the last three years. “Like most changes there is always some resistance to change initially, but I think this is something that consumers in Illinois really want to see us accomplish,” she said. The director of the Illinois Public Interest Research Group said in a statement that the Coalition for Plastic Reduction plans to try again next year to pass a statewide foam food ware ban.
