Calif.: 1st state to ban foam containers?

August 29, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

sacramento, calif.

Restaurant owner Gary Honeycutt says a push in California’s state Legislature to ban the plastic foam containers he uses to serve up takeout meals could cost him thousands of dollars in an industry where profit margins already are razor thin.

BJ’s Kountry Kitchen uses about 26,000 of the 9-inch foam clamshells a year.

The bill by Democratic state Sen. Alan Lowenthal, would prohibit restaurants, grocery stores and other vendors from dispensing food in expanded polystyrene containers, commonly known as Styrofoam, beginning in 2016.

If signed into law, the measure would make California the first to institute a statewide ban on such containers. More than 50 California cities and counties already have similar bans.

The bill would exempt school districts and city and county jurisdictions if they implemented programs that recycled more than 60 percent of their foam waste.

Lowenthal said litter from the foam containers is one of the most abundant forms of debris found in city streets, sewers and beaches.

Japanese official sees restart of reactors

tokyo

Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Banri Kaieda said he expects the reactivation of nuclear reactors whose operations were suspended for scheduled checkups to begin this year.

Kaieda expressed his view at a joint press conference Saturday for the five candidates in the Democratic Party of Japan’s presidential election, including himself. It was the first time Kaieda had referred to a specific time for the restart of nuclear reactors.

The government’s policy on restarting the reactors has shifted under the administration of Prime Minister Naoto Kan, confusing local governments that host nuclear power plants.

Vindicator wire reports

Selected local stocks

STOCK, DIVIDENDCLOSECHANGE

Aqua America, .62, 21.62 .35

Avalon Holdings,2.79.03

Clear Channel, .63 54.15 —.44

Cortland Bancorp, 7.16.00

Farmers Nat., .12, 4.15 —.10

First Energy, 2.20, 42.53—.20

FirstMerit Corp., .64,11.99 .13

First Niles Financial, .32,7.25.00

First Place Fin., .67—.05

FNB Corp., .48,8.68.15

General Motors,22.87.57

General Electric, .60,15.54.09

Motors Liquidation, .0422.00

Huntington Bank, .04, 4.90.08

JP Morgan Chase, 1.00,36.21.49

Key Corp, .12,6.42.10

LaFarge, 9.92 —.02

Macy’s, .40, 24.90.45

Parker Hannifin, 1.48, 67.701.91

PNC, 1.40,46.84.26

RTI Intl. Metals,24.19.83

Simon Prop. Grp.,3.20,115.161.82

Stoneridge 7.56 .13

United Community Fin. 1.00—.04

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