R5G Styrofoam Ban
Good morning again Mayor Levine and members of the City
Commission. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak to you
today about this important issue.
My name is Rachel Silverstein, and I am the Executive Director and
Waterkeeper of Miami Waterkeeper.
Miami Waterkeeper (MWK) is grassroots non-profit organization that
advocates for the Biscayne Bay watershed and its wildlife. Our goal is
to empower citizens to protect their right to swimmable, drinkable,
fishable water and to support Miami's clean water economy.
I wanted to speak today in support of the ban of polystyrene foam, an
action which I believe will help to alleviate human health and
environmental concerns related to the use of styrofoam.
Styrofoam is light-weight and easily degrades into small pieces which
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 litter comes from land-based litter that
degraded into small pieces, traveled down the storm drain, and
ended up in the ocean.
Tourism is critical for the clean water economy of Miami Beach, and
foam litter, almost impossible to clean up, damages the vitality of our
beaches and waterways.
Removing this litter is also costly for Miami Beach, and nearly
impossible to do effectively due to the rapid degradation of the foam
into small pieces. Furthermore, foam is expensive and difficult to
recycle and therefore has an extremely low recycling rate.
Birds, filter feeding organisms, and fish often mistake foam particles
for food. For example, many sea birds are found dying of starvation
with their bellies full of plastic particles.
Foam is also made with styrene, which has recently been determined
to be a "reasonably anticipated human carcinogen" which can migrate
from containers to food when heated.
Due to the human health and environmental impacts of polystyrene
foam, I ask you Mayor Levine, and the City Commission, to support
this resolution and to expand the ban of polystyrene in Miami Beach
and to show the kind of visionary leadership that this Commission has
come to be known for.
Thank you for your time.