Medford Students' Proposed Styrofoam Ban Wows City Council

MEDFORD, MA — When Michael Marks was in high school, he and his classmates didn't even know who was on the City Council, the city councilor said at a recent meeting. Now, there's high schoolers proposing legislation in Medford.

Marks was one of several councilors who commended Juliette Franks and Ellie Hunt, two Medford High School students who presented in favor of a Styrofoam ban at the City Council meeting Feb. 25. The students, members of the Center for Citizenship and Social Responsibility, spoke about the environmental hazards posed by Styrofoam, scientifically known as polystyrene.

Franks and Hunt said their proposed ban on polystyrene has more than 1,000 supporters. According to their presentation, polystyrene is the fifth, sixth and seventh most common substance to wash up on U.S. coasts and is not biodegradable, posing a danger to animals that mistake it for food or build nests out of it.

It's not only animals that feel the negative effects of polystyrene; according to Franks and Hunt, its synthetic chemicals may rub off on hot food and drinks packaged inside a Styrofoam container.

The pair proposed a ban on serving prepared food in Styrofoam at businesses and schools. In Massachusetts, 46 municipalities, including the nearby communities of Somerville, Cambridge, Melrose and Winthrop, have enacted similar bans.

City Councilor Zac Bears said he and Councilor Nicole Morell worked on a proposed Styrofoam ordinance that uses similar language to the city's plastic bag ban. If passed, the ordinance would go into effect in 2021 and provide the same protections for businesses as the plastic bag ban, Bears said.

Morell, who works in sustainability, told the students, "I had a lot of points I was going to make, but you guys hit them all."

Councilor George Scarpelli echoed praise for Franks and Hunt and said he would "1,000 percent" support a ban on polystyrene.

"It takes effort from young ladies like yourselves to come out and have the courage to see something and follow through with it," Scarpelli said. "You can see greatness upon the both of you as you move forward."

The City Council unanimously voted to move the polystyrene ordinance to the Committee of the Whole, with the city solicitor in attendance at the meeting.