Alderman proposes Styrofoam ban

February 10, 2010 (CHICAGO) Finance committee chairman Ed Burke drafted the ban after learning that Chicago Public Schools use and throw away 35 million Styrofoam lunch trays each year.

The ban would apply to restaurants, stores and cafeterias.

If the ban is approved by the City Council, violators could face fines ranging from $300 to $500.

The president of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association denounced the proposed ban saying aldermen should not focus on things that add cost to the Chicago business community.