the act government in australia is considering the possibility of imposing a ban on polystyrene foam packaging like singleuse containers and cups on the lines of new york.act territory and municipal services minister shane rattenbury has urged his directorate to examine the feasibility of a ban.rattenbury was quoted by australian broadcasting corporation as saying, "us cities such as new york have found that singleuse polystyrene containers cannot be recycled economically. they&39re bulky and they&39re nondegradable so they take up a significant amount of landfill."i think the public understands that products that are used once before disposal really are not sustainable and that we need to be coming up with better alternatives, things that can be recycled or reused."polystyrene, which cannot be recycled, causes a risk in water and on land. it is reported that over 33,000 tonnes of polystyrene was produced in australia in 2006 and 2007.in november 2011, the act banned the use of singleuse plastic shopping bags. retailers and supermarkets were allowed to charge for reusable bags.australiabased advocacy organisation do something founder welcomed the latest plan of banning polystyrene foam packaging.do something founder john dee told 666 abc canberra, "if we can get the act to ban polystyrene packaging then the capital could be a really positive role model for other states and territories to follow."if the ban comes into place, the region will join antarctica and major cities which ban polystyrene including san francisco, washington dc, paris and toronto. new york mayor bill de blasio recently announced a ban on all forms of singleuse packaging from 1 july 2015.image over 33,000 tonnes of polystyrene was produced in australia in 2006 and 2007. photo courtesy of winnondfreedigitalphotos.net. 
