Local Artist Starts Online Petition to Ban Plastic Cutlery and Styrofoam Containers in East Hampton

East Hampton resident Scott Bluedorn is petitioning for East Hampton Town to ban the use of plastic cutlery and styrofoam containers.

Mr. Bluedorn, who creates art pieces using found bits of plastic washed up on local beaches, launched a petition on Change.org last week calling for a ban of “single-use plastic plates/cups/cutlery and styrofoam containers.” The petition states that these plastic and styrofoam products are not biodegradable and contribute to the large amounts of trash that pile up on the beaches of the Hamptons, along with damaging wildlife and releasing dangerous chemicals into the environment.

Mr. Bluedorn’s petition states that the plastic and styrofoam can be replaced with biodegradable or reusable material, including cornstarch-based products, bamboo, paper, metal cutlery or grass.

“I was inspired by reading an article about France banning plastic cutlery, plates, and cups throughout the whole country,” Mr. Bluedorn said in an interview. “East Hampton recently banned plastic bags, so I thought this would be the next logical step.”

Mr. Bluedorn referred to the Town of East Hampton banning all retail shops, including all farm stands and grocery stores, from using “single-use” plastic bags last September. That ban came after the villages of East Hampton and Southampton enacted prohibitions on plastic bags in 2011 and the Town of Southampton also followed suit last year.

Mr. Bluedorn’s petition had reached 471 supporters as of Monday afternoon and he said he hopes that number will soon reach 1,000. Promoting his petition through social media like Facebook and general word of mouth, Mr. Bluedorn said that he has not made contact with any of the Town or Village of East Hampton Board members to further discuss the petition.

“This was kind of, honestly, just a shot in the dark to see how many people are really interested in this idea. I think when I hit 1,000 signatures that it’ll be enough to present to the Town Board to show that this is an issue that needs to be done.”

Mr. Bluedorn said that the next step will be approaching various local businesses, including restaurants, to see if they’d be willing to switch from plastic and styrofoam. He said that many takeout eateries and local delis often use styrofoam containers to package food orders and plastic cutlery for consumers to use on the go.

“I always say to be conscious of what you’re using,” Mr. Bluedorn said. “If you’re getting take-out, bring cutlery with you or just hold on to the stuff that you have instead of just throwing it out. I think styrofoam is useless as a container and contains some seriously harmful chemicals to the environment.”

East Hampton Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell said that he was not made aware of Mr. Bluedorn’s petition, though he understands his concerns.

“Scott’s right, those containers are part of the wasting and litter problem in East Hampton and the waste is hard to process,” Mr. Cantwell said. “But this is something that we’d have to take a careful look at to find a solution.”