To the editor:

A local company is expanding operations to increase the production of plastic cups. It will provide 84 jobs, but at what cost? If a polypropylene plastic cup (No. 5) is not recycled, it takes 450 years to break down into microplastics in landfill and in the ocean. When it breaks down in a landfill, it leaches toxic chemicals into the surrounding soil and eventually the groundwater.

The City of Berkeley, Calif., has banned single-use foodware, including cups, lids, utensils, straws and other disposables that contribute to street litter and harm wildlife. All food vendors offering onsite dining have to use reusable (durable/washable) foodware. No single-use plastic is allowed and all take-out foodware must be compostable. This is the wave of the future, and the City of Lawrence should adopt a similar ordinance.

Clark H. Coan,

Lawrence