To the Editor:

I’m writing this letter in response to Mark Grimm’s Feb. 9 letter, “Styrofoam ban would hurt businesses.”

I can’t believe that a county legislator is promoting the use of styrofoam.

At the First United Methodist Church in Voorheesville, we have banned the use of all plastic foam containers by the church as well as any groups that use our church. I have been to other churches that have also banned plastic foam.

I also run the farmers’ market at the church and our vendors have gladly switched to more environmentally-friendly recyclable containers. Cost for recyclable containers is pennies more than Styrofoam so that is not an issue. The restaurants we frequent have all switched to recyclable containers.  Some people even bring their own containers to restaurants these days.

I contacted all five licensed rubbish companies on the town of Guilderland’s website and none recycle Styrofoam. It all goes to the landfill. There are no recycling companies in the Capital District for food or drink containers made of Styrofoam.  White “expanded polystyrene” blocks can be saved up at home and there is one company in Cohoes that will recycle them but you have to take them there.

And lastly, polystyrene is made from benzine, which the American Cancer Society calls a “probable human carcinogen” and it is made from styrene that the cancer society calls “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.”

So if Mark Grimm is your Albany County legislator, please call him and tell him that you are in favor of the Styrofoam ban. We all need to protect the environment — that’s our job and it should be Mark Grimm’s as well.

Dianne Luci

Voorheesville