Oaxaca de Juárez joins the list of Oaxacan municipalities where the use of unicel/Styrofoam in commercial establishments is prohibited.
On July 25, Leslie Jiménez Valencia, state councilor for Public Health and Roads, presented an initiative to reform article 16 of the “Regulation for the operation of commercial establishments in the municipality of Oaxaca de Juárez.” With this, the commercial establishments of Oaxaca could not sell or pack food and drinks in unicel containers.
Although food can be packaged in paper, the custom and convenience of sellers who use unicel packaging has led to its indiscriminate use.
Jiménez Valencia recalled that not having mechanisms for recycling, the use of unicel is harmful to the environment. And unicel is typically thrown away after a single use and it takes several years to degrade.
He recalled that when heated, unicel garbage releases into the environment toxic substances such as dioxins, which can contaminate food, and cause cancer and poisoning.
To enter into force, the document must be published in the Official Newspaper of Oaxaca and in the Municipal Gazette, which is expected to occur in October.
The first municipality in Oaxaca that banned the use of unicel was San Bartolo Coyotepec, in 2010.