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Policy overview
Restaurants, grocery stores, and nonprofit food servers in Portland are prohibited from serving, selling, or packaging food and beverage in products made of polystyrene foam.
Polystyrene is often called Styrofoam™, but there are many brands of foam to-go containers, bowls, cups, food trays, and other packaging, all of which are included in this ban.
Penalties
Businesses found in violation of the policy will receive a written warning from the City of Portland.
If the business does not come into compliance, fines are set at $100 for the first violation, $200 for the second, and $500 for any subsequent violation in the same calendar year.
Report an out-of-compliance business
Fill out this short form or contact the City's Garbage and Recycling staff to let us know about a business that is not complying with the foam container ban.
We will contact the business to help them understand the rule and give them up to 30 days to come into compliance before charging fines.
Report an out-of-compliance business
More about the policy
The purpose of this policy is to prevent litter and protect wildlife.
Products made of polystyrene foam are difficult to recycle and often end up as litter in our open spaces, rivers and oceans. The foam breaks down into small pieces that harm wildlife and aquatic animals when they eat it, thinking it's food.
Find more details about the ban at Portland City Code 17.102.310 Prohibition on Certain PSF Uses and Enforcement, Notice, and Fines.