U.S. State of Delaware Bans Plastic Foam Food Containers, Limits Plastic Straws | Oceana

Victory | August 31, 2023

U.S. State of Delaware Bans Plastic Foam Food Containers, Limits Plastic Straws

Following campaigning by Oceana and our allies, Delaware enacted a law to phase out plastic foam foodware and reduce other unnecessary single-use plastics. Specifically, the law prohibits restaurants and other food service establishments from providing polystyrene foam food containers, plastic beverage stirrers, and plastic cocktail and sandwich picks, and requires that single-use plastic straws only be provided at the customer’s request. Expanded polystyrene is a form of plastic foam, made from fossil fuels, and is commonly used for food containers and packaging. This disposable packaging is usually thrown away after a single use and breaks up into smaller pieces that are hard to clean up, disperse rapidly due to their lightweight nature, and can persist in the environment for decades. With this new law, Delaware joins a growing list of U.S. states and cities that have taken legislative action to tackle the plastic pollution crisis.