Ocean Conservancy Data Show Plastic Foam is One of the Most Common Forms of Plastic Pollution on Beaches and Waterways Worldwide

SACRAMENTO – On January 1, California’s ban on plastic foam foodware (commonly known as Styrofoam) across the state went into effect. This ban was triggered following the passage of the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act (SB54) that Ocean Conservancy helped negotiate. Under the law, plastic foam needed to meet a 25% recycling rate in the state by January 1, 2025, confirmed by California’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), to continue being lawfully sold. On the same day, Oregon’s ban that passed in 2023 (SB 543) also went into effect, which includes plastic foam foodware, single-use coolers, and packing peanuts. Washington banned plastic foam foodware, single-use coolers, and packaging peanuts with a law passed in 2021 that went into effect in stages in 2023 and 2024.

In response to this news, Ocean Conservancy’s Director of Plastics Policy, Dr. Anja Brandon, said, “When it comes to preventing plastic pollution, it’s been proven that bans work. California and Oregon’s bans make it so foam foodware is now banned across the entire West Coast of the United States. This will make a huge impact in protecting the ocean, environment, and our communities from this widespread form of plastic pollution. We hope this encourages other states to take action and Congress to pass the Farewell to Foam Act to ban this harmful form of plastic nationwide.”

In 2023, Ocean Conservancy launched a campaign advocating for plastic foam bans nationwide, entitled “What the Foam?!”, which includes a report highlighting the dangers and impacts of plastic foam on the environment and policy recommendations to prevent this pernicious form of plastic pollution. In December 2023, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-TX-37) introduced the Farewell to Foam Act, a bill that would phase out the use of plastic foam foodware and other single-use items nationwide. Ocean Conservancy experts worked closely with legislators following the launch of the foam campaign to advocate for this bill.

Plastic foam is not recyclable and because it is lightweight, crumbles easily, and quickly spreads in the environment, plastic foam is one of the most common forms of plastic pollution both in California and worldwide. Since 1988, volunteers with Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) have removed over 750,000 plastic foam items and 700,000 tiny foam pieces from beaches and waterways in California alone. Ocean Conservancy scientists estimate that this ban would eliminate up to 3.9 billion pieces of foam foodware in California every year.

A plastic foam media kit with photos, b-roll and fact sheets can be found HERE.

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