Politics on the Hudson

Some New York City Democrats were attacking McDonalds and other restaurants for still serving Stryofoam cups.Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh; Sen. Liz Krueger and the League of Conservation Voters called upon McDonald’s and other restaurants using polystyrene, which is Styrofoam. They said McDonald’s recently reintroduced Styrofoam cups to serve “Sweet Tea”—almost two decades after removing Styrofoam from their restaurants.

“Polystyrene cups are used in a matter of minutes but remain in our waterways and landfills for centuries,” Kavanagh said.

McDonald’s had no immediate comment.

Updated:

Here’s McDonald’s response:

“Styrofoam is widely used by restaurant companies, grocery stores, retailers and manufacturers. Singling out McDonald’s is not only unfair, but it is misleading.

“It is important to note that Styrofoam is only used in a small percentage of our packaging in the U.S.

“The Food and Drug Administration sets the guidelines for what materials are acceptable for use. McDonald’s packaging – including our cups – meet those guidelines.

“McDonald’s has made significant strides in the development of environmentally friendly packaging for more than 20 years.

“Today, more than 80 percent of our U.S. packaging is made from renewable materials, with more than 30 percent coming from post-consumer generated fiber.

“We continue to explore packaging options and utilize an environmental scorecard to understand the attributes of all available options – including environmental impact, weight, composition, functionality, availability and cost.”

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