The following statement was issued by Sara Marinello, WCS Vice President for Government & Community Affairs:

“The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) commends New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for his environmental leadership in proposing to ban the use of single-use polystyrene foam food and beverage containers and packing peanuts. 

“The widespread use of single-use polystyrene foam products has been a source of environmental pollution clogging our waterways and joining other plastics as one of the largest sources of marine debris worldwide, ultimately impacting wildlife. Like plastic straws, polystyrene foam containers and peanuts are not recyclable.

“WCS’s New York Aquarium is educating and empowering New Yorkers to make eco-friendly choices regarding single-use plastics through  Ocean Wonders: Sharks! and the Give A Sip campaign. This important step builds on other actions taken by the governor  and other state leaders. There is much we need to do to address the threat that plastic poses to marine wildlife this session. WCS encourages New York policymakers to take swift action to eliminate polystyrene foam food and beverage containers from our waste streams.”