According to the World Wildlife Fund, people ingest about a credit card’s worth of plastic every week. Most people aren’t intentionally snacking on plastic shards, but tiny pieces invisible to the naked eye called “microplastics” accumulate in the human body. They come from a variety of sources and leach into food from plastic containers.
Exposure to polystyrene, or Styrofoam as it’s commonly known, negatively impacts health causing long term nervous system problems, and respiratory issues.
House Bill 477 aims to reduce Montanans’ exposure to microplastics in food. The bill was introduced by Missoula Democratic Representative Marilyn Marler and carried in the state Senate by Billings Republican Senator Daniel Zolnikov.
“We have chemicals in our food. We have chemicals touching our food. We are being poisoned in more ways than we know. This is an easy way to say, if the Feds aren't going to do it, we're going to do it, we're going to phase it out”, Zonikov said
The federal government does not restrict the use of plastic food containers. Zolnikov pointed to recent research documenting microplastics in newborns and said it’s up to the state to take action.
The bill would require restaurants to stop serving food in Styrofoam containers by 2028, and then stop packing prepared food in those containers by 2029. It only applies to food containers, not Styrofoam used for transportation, and construction.
After passing with bipartisan support, the bill awaits a final decision by the Governor.
