For as long as most of us can remember, styrofoam containers have been part of our everyday existence. Whether it serves as your coffee cup for the day or what you bring your take out dinner home in later that night, styrofoam has been there as a terrific vessel for food and liquids. There's just one gigantic problem, while we have all used it temporarily, the styrofoam just doesn't want to leave planet Earth and has been wreaking havoc on the environment.

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That's why Maine has officially become the first state in the country to ban styrofoam containers according to CNN. Governor Janet Mills signed a bill into law on Tuesday that will force the hand of many business to find an alternative to using styrofoam. Restaurants, coffee shops and grocery stores will all be prohibited from distributing styrofoam containers starting on January 1st, 2021.

Just how often are styrofoam containers used in Maine? Far too often it appears. The National Resource Council of Maine reported that more than 256 million pieces of disposable foam cups, plates, bowls and other containers are used every year in Maine.

Environmental debates have increased in recent years, especially in communities around Maine. Several Maine cities and towns have already put a fee on single use plastic bags, with the looming potential that the "ban" could become a statewide law.

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