Oregon EPS Take-Out Container Ban

Oregon's House Bill 2883 proposes to ban expanded polystyrene (EPS) take out containers in Oregon. Commonly referred to as “foam plastic”, EPS wreaks havoc on our ocean and beach environment. Breaking down into smaller and smaller pieces, Surfrider Chapters regularly encounter EPS in our beach and highway cleanups in Oregon. Oregon chapters and regional staff joined up to support the Wildlife Over Waste campaign led by Environment Oregon to help curb a one of the largest vectors of litter and waste from single-use EPS, take out containers! 

UPDATE: On 06/11, the Oregon Senate failed to pass HB 2883, narrowly missing the Senate majority by one vote. Surfrider Foundation will be teaming up with Enviornment Oregon to revisit this campaign and legislative effort in the interim

The legislation began as a full ban on all EPS foam in restaurants and has morphed in the legislative process into a reasonable compromise, largely driven by a company in Oregon that recovers and recylces polystyrene (yes, they actually do). Instead of outright banning all EPS foam in restaurants, the legislation now provides that restaurnats may offer food in polystyrene provided the restaraunt: 

a) Ensures the EPS food container does not leave the premise. This effectively “bans” EPS as “take-out”, our biggest environmental concern from a litter standpoint. 

b) Collects all EPS food containers used on premises and ensures their delivery to a faciliyt that 100% recycles the food contianers. 

Read the full legislative amendment here.

If a restarant is unable manage EPS food containers at their establishment accordance with the two directives above, they simply cannot offer it. Given this is the case for most restauants, it's likely to be a “defacto ban” on containers and it is a ban EPS take out containers. For Surfrider Foundation, we think this is a really important step and while we don't promote the false narrative of recycling our way out of our plastic pollution problems, we do think this legislation will effectively ban EPS foam take-out containers in the majority of the state.

As of 05/31 - HB 2883 is in the Senate and has cleared committee on both the House and the Senate side. It's headed to the floor early next week for a vote.