According to the New York Times, Mayor Bloomberg will propose a ban on plastic-foam containers  in his State of the City speech on Thursday:

Mr. Bloomberg, in his 12th and final State of the City address, will propose a citywide ban on plastic-foam food packaging, including takeout boxes, cups and trays. Public schools would be instructed to remove plastic-foam trays from their cafeterias. Many restaurants and bodegas would be forced to restock.

In excerpts from his speech released on Wednesday, Mr. Bloomberg rails against plastic foam, even comparing it to lead paint. “We can live without it, we may live longer without it, and the doggie bag will survive just fine,” the mayor plans to say.

The ban would need to be approved by the City Council, headed by Christine Quinn, who is also the current favorite to be next mayor. Unlike bike paths, there seems to be no distance between the mayor and his favored successor on the subject of plastic-foam. Council Speak Quinn is quoted in the Times saying of plastic-foam: “It lives forever, it’s worse than cockroaches.”

(Plastic-foam is the correct description of the soft foam used for food containers, which is different from the harder material called Styrofoam that is made by Dow. So the ban will technically be a plastic-foam food container ban.)

As a preview of the mayor’s last State of the City speech, the administration also provides this infographic, showing accomplishments that preceded the plastic-foam ban:

Graphic: NYC.gov

Photo: Genpak