Your voices have been heard! Miami-Dade County has agreed to ban Styrofoam products from beaches, parks, and marinas in the county starting in July 2017.
The ordinance will help eliminate the disposal of harmful Styrofoam products – such as coolers and food containers – in close vicinity to our precious waterways. Miami Waterkeeper spearheaded a grassroots effort to support an ordinance put forward by County Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava, a great supporter of environmental initiatives for the County. We organized local community members, organizations, and businesses to show their support for the ordinance. Our letter was signed by 21 local non-profits, businesses, and municipalities and the petition received over 600 signatures!
Styrofoam hurts our environment, health, and economy. Styrofoam is light-weight and easily degrades into small pieces that can be widely dispersed in the environment. It is not biodegradable and therefore will not be naturally removed from the environment. Most marine-based foam debris comes from land-based litter that degrades into small pieces, travels down the storm drain, and ends up in the ocean.
See the letter here.
This is a great step forward in protecting the waters of Miami. Thank you for your support and let’s keep the momentum going!
Originally published at https://www.miamiwaterkeeper.org/styrofoam_ban_passed