Bloomberg, speaking Friday morning on John Gambling's WOR radio show, touted both the environmental and economic benefits of banning polystyrene foam.

WSJ: New Yorkers react to mayor's plastic foam ban push

In Maine, for example, bait can't be sold in polystyrene foam plastic.

WSJ: New Yorkers react to mayor's plastic foam ban push

Although commonly referred to as Styrofoam, that brand of polystyrene foam isn't used in food packaging, according to its manufacturer, Dow Chemical Co.

WSJ: New Yorkers react to mayor's plastic foam ban push

Avid Dunkin' Donuts coffee drinker Charles Smith said he's sympathetic to the environmental concerns of polystyrene foam, but Bloomberg's latest initiative misses the point.

WSJ: New Yorkers react to mayor's plastic foam ban push

Polystyrene foam, sometimes sold under the brand name Styrofoam, has long been popular among restaurateurs for lightweight, heat-retaining containers, but environmentalists complain it takes years to break down in trash.

WSJ: Foam cups, containers eyed amid NYC recycling push

"Polystyrene foam foodservice products are two to five times less expensive than alternatives, which saves the City's agencies a significant amount of tax dollars, " the trade group American Chemistry Council said.

WSJ: New Yorkers react to mayor's plastic foam ban push

Polystyrene foam containers have long been used by street vendors and take-out restaurants as a cheap way to keep in the heat and sauces of meals sold to on-the-go customers.

WSJ: New Yorkers react to mayor's plastic foam ban push

Anything I can't recycle, it's old plastic, lots of plastic trays and containers, foam polystyrene.

BBC