Third-grade class project leads to polystyrene foam ban for Dutchess

Six months ago, a third-grade class in Joseph D'Aquanni West Road Intermediate School in Pleasant Valley learned about the negative environmental impact made by a foam used in a common type of cup in restaurants across the country, and chose to take a stand.

The students presented their research on polystyrene foam to older classes in the school, wrote letters to government leaders and ultimately addressed the Dutchess County Legislature.

"It really took off," Barbara Kurdziel, the class' teacher, said. "They were so engaged and outraged about the effects of polystyrene."

The result of that advocacy took shape Friday, as Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro signed a law prohibiting the use of polystyrene foam cups and food containers in chain restaurants and county facilities.

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Now in fourth grade, the students responsible for bringing the issue to the Legislature attended the signing and received proclamations from the county honoring their advocacy.

The environmental concerns surrounding polystyrene foam were the driving force behind the law. The resolution referenced the material's poor biodegradability, carcinogenic properties and toxicity when burned, according to the resolution.

"We wanted to send a signal of environmental sensitivity while taking this product out of our waste stream," Molinaro said.

In May 2017, Kurdziel introduced her class to the issues surrounding polystyrene foam as part of their unit on persuasive writing. The class of 23 researched the issue and presented arguments to the school's fourth and fifth grade classes.

"Polystyrene is really bad for the environement," said Tommy Ayasse, one of the students in the class.

As part of the project, the class also wrote letters to Molinaro and Gov. Andrew Cuomo about their concerns with the material.

That letter to Molinaro led to a June 22 meeting where the class presented their argument against the use of polystyrene foam to the county executive.

Legislators Don Sagliano, representing Pleasant Valley and the Town of Poughkeepsie, and Gregg Pulver, representing North East, Stanford, Pine Plains and Milan, worked to draft the resolution for the polystyrene foam ban.

The Dutchess County Legislature approved the resolution at its Oct. 10 meeting, voting 23-1. During the meeting, the students were able to make their case for the ban to the legislators as they did with Molinaro.

Legislator Angela Flesland, representing part of the Town of Poughkeepsie, voted against the resolution, saying the scope of the law was too limited.

The law impacts chain restaurants, which the county defined as businesses with 15 or more locations in the state, Kyle Ketcham, Dutchess County research analyst said. The goal was to target fast-food and grocery store chains, rather than local eateries and small restaurant groups.

"This law is specifically targetting businesses with the resources to deal with a change like this," Ketcham said. "In many cases, these businesses have dealt with a change like this before from similar bans in other counties and states."

The law also prohibits the use of polystyrene foam containers at county events, parks and facilities, Molinaro said.

"So in Dutchess Stadium, for example, vendors won't be serving food out of these containers," Molinaro said.

The Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health will enforce this ban through its normal health inspections. However, businesses impacted by the ban will have time to transition.

"The bill won't be enforced with fines or penalties for the first year that the bill is in effect," Ketcham said. "And after the first year, the initial violation will result in the business receiving the reasons for the ban and a notice of future penalties. It's designed to be education-centric rather than punishment-focused."

The bill will go into full effect in January 2019, Ketcham said.

Geoffrey Wilson: gwilson@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4882, Twitter: Geoff_LW