THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2021 Page 5 City Council considering Styrofoam food packaging ban By Adam Swift M ore than two years ago, the city banned single-use plastic bags. Now, the City Council has its eyes set on a ban of nonrecyclable Styrofoam food we banned the plastic bags, and it’s made a world of diff erence in our community with litter,” said McKenna. She said that the Styrofoam containers are a bigger health and environmental hazard than plastic bags. Ward 4 Councillor Patrick JESSICA ANN GIANNINO Councillor-at-Large JOANNE MCKENNA Ward 1 Councillor packaging. Last Monday night, the council held a public hearing on an ordinance for sustainable food ware and packaging that was introduced by Councillor-at-Large Jessica Ann Giannino and Ward 1 Councillor Joanne McKenna. Under the ordinance, which next goes before the council’s Ways and Means Subcommittee, restaurants and stores would be required to use biodegradable, compostable, reusable or recyclable food containers for prepared foods. “This is sentimental to me, because polystyrene bans are the reason I got into politics to begin with,” said Giannino. “When I was at Salem State in 2010, one of the fi rst things we did was ban these, and that was a decade ago.” Polystyrene is a plastic that’s INFLATION | FROM Page 4 on the chin. At 3% infl ation, the dollar would lose half its value in only 23 years, instead of the 34 years that it would take at 2% infl ation. Also, savers, who currently are earning about 0.1% in their bank accounts, would continue to have their wealth bled away by real interest rates being even more negative than they have been for the past decade-plus. Pardon the cynicism, but perhaps we need to consider the possibility that the elites in the Washington establishment are more interested in burnishing their own reputations than in pursuing sound economic policies. —Dr. Mark W. Hendrickson is a retired adjunct faculty member, economist, and fellow for economic and social policy with the Institute for Faith and Freedom at Grove City College. made from petrochemicals, and many of those chemicals are health hazards and have neurotoxins and carcinogens that can leach into foods, said Giannino. She said the materials are also often mistaken as food by animals, and they can be hazardous when they are burned. “These plastics are sent to our incinerator around the corner and come into our atmosphere, so we’re inhaling the residual aftermath of these items,” said Giannino. “They are also not recyclable; Massachusetts does not include polystyrenes in their curbside recycling programs.” As of October, 65 communities in the state have enacted a polystyrene ban. “I know change is hard, but it’s been two-and-a-half years since Keefe said he supports the ordinance, but he added that the hospitality industry is facing supply chain issues when it comes to packaging. He suggested the city may want to enact the ordinance toward the end of 2022 rather than on July 1 as stated in the ordinance. “Right now, for some restaurants, it’s feast or famine; they are just going to get any takeout packaging they can fi nd,” said Keefe. “You can’t fi nd pizza boxes in some places right now; it’s really that dire with the supply chain.” Dimple Rana, the city’s director of Healthy Community Initiatives, said she supports the ordinance, but asked the council to consider the impact to local businesses. She said the city could provide some kind of incentives to local businesses and restaurants to help cover the costs of any new materials they may need to buy. The new ordinance will not include plastic straws. Commission on Disabilities Chair Ralph DeCicco said many people with disabilities, especially older people and autistic children, rely on the plastic straws. Like us on Facebook advocate newspaper Facebook.com/ Advocate.news.ma Gerry D’Ambrosio Attorney-at-Law Is Your Estate in Order? Do you have an update Will, Health Care Proxy or Power of Attorney? If Not, Please Call for a Free Consultation. 14 Proctor Avenue, Revere (781) 284-5657 AUTOTECH DRIVE IT - PUSH IT - TOW IT! Cold Hard Cash for Your Vehicle! RIVE IT - PUSH IT - TOW IT $$ CASH FOR YOUR CAR, TRUCK OR SUV! $$ Get your vehicle Winter Ready! We offer a Winter Inspection Service that includes: • Oil Filter Change • Anti-Freeze Check • Complete Safety Check Only $39.95 All Wheel Drive, Most Power Options, Runs Great, Only 95K Miles, Warranty! TRADES WELCOME! $11,900 Financing Available! 1236 EasternAve • Malden EddiesAutotech.com (Most vehicles) 2012 KIA SPORTAGE 2010 NISSAN MAXIMA Loaded, Leather Interior, Just Serviced, Warranty, Runs Beautiful, Only 160K Miles! TRADES WELCOME! (781) 321-8841 • (617) 571-9869 Easy For Your Vehicle! $7,995 We Pay Cash
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