---
title: "Maine Officially Bans Styrofoam"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/84d46df2-0f0f-434a-ae6c-34b4e06ef07c
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/maine-officially-bans-styrofoam-2709847
category: "General"
published: 2019-05-03T13:08:59.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:30:31.386Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/55d02ada6f772a1deb7032f54f1ab9c45518.jpg
---

# Maine Officially Bans Styrofoam

**TL;DR:** Maine governor Janet Mills signed a bill into law banning the commercial use of Styrofoam across the state. The ban will take effect on January 1, 2021, and violators will face a fine up to $100.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2019-05-03. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/maine-officially-bans-styrofoam-2709847).*

## Story

Maine governor Janet Mills signed a bill into law Tuesday that officially bans the commercial use of Styrofoam across the state, according to CNN. On January 1, 2021, all restaurants, coffee shops, grocery stores and other businesses will be prohibited from using to-go containers made of polystyrene. Violators will reportedly face a fine up to $100.

"Polystyrene cannot be recycled like a lot of other products, so while that cup of coffee may be finished, the Styrofoam cup it was in is not," Governor Mills said in a statement to a local CNN affiliate. "In fact, it will be around for decades to come and eventually it will break down into particles, polluting our environment, hurting our wildlife, and even detrimentally impacting our economy."

According to the Natural Resources Council of Maine, more than 256 million pieces of disposable foam containers are used every year in the state, and plastic foam food containers are among the most littered items in the country. CNN notes that because Styrofoam easily breaks down into very small pieces, it is often mistaken for food by marine animals—and because the material absorbs toxins faster than other plastics, it can also be a threat to humans who consume seafood.

Environmentally-friendly laws are gaining momentum. While Maine is the first state to blacklist Styrofoam, Maryland has considered similar legislation while New York and California have banned single-use plastic bags. Plastic straws have been nixed by cities like Seattle as well as several major restaurant chains.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- General (sector)
- new york (location)
- California (location)
- sustainability (topic)
- Maryland (location)
- Seattle (location)
- Maine (location)
- plastic waste (topic)
- Natural Resources Council of Maine (regulator)
- styrofoam ban (topic)
- environmental law (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/maine-officially-bans-styrofoam-2709847). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/84d46df2-0f0f-434a-ae6c-34b4e06ef07c).