Illinois has a plastic pollution problem. Every year, Americans throw away millions of pieces of single-use plastic “stuff” — and too often pollution ends up in our Great Lakes, rivers and ultimately our oceans, where it can harm or even kill birds and marine animals such as turtles and fish. It is time to say farewell to some of the worst single-use plastics: plastic foam cups, containers and other food items.
The good news is that the Illinois legislature has the opportunity to reduce single-use plastic waste. In 2023, legislation that phases out the use of single-use plastic polystyrene foam foodware in state facilities was signed into law. This year our legislators can support a bill to phase out single-use plastic foam foodware statewide.
