Senate committee adopts opt-out amendment and reports bill to ban polystyrene foodware

The Senate Labor and Commerce Committee on May 15 amended and reported House Bill 25, a measure that would prohibit polystyrene food service ware in restaurants and in state procurement after Jan. 1 (restaurants may use existing stock acquired before Jan. 1). Representative Andy Josephson said the measure is a narrow change that does not alter eligibility or beneficiaries for charitable gaming, and that enforcement would be handled by the Department of Environmental Conservation.

Bionni Chapman, state director of Alaska Environment, told the committee polystyrene breaks into small pieces, is prevalent in Alaska waterways and presents risks to wildlife and human health. "Nothing that we use for just a couple minutes should pollute our environment for hundreds of years," Chapman said.

Lindsay Stovall of the American Chemistry Council opposed the bill, saying alternatives are often more expensive and that implementation and recycling infrastructure concerns could increase costs for businesses and state agencies. Stovall cited outside analyses showing alternatives costing substantially more in some cases and urged lawmakers to focus on statewide waste-management solutions instead of singling out one material.

Members considered and adopted amendment N.A.1 to allow municipalities to opt out by ordinance. Representative Josephson said the change provides local control and thanked the committee after the amendment was adopted. The committee then reported the bill as amended from committee with an attached fiscal note.

The committee record shows no roll-call vote; the chair declared the bill reported from committee after no objection was heard.