Shaw’s asks Freeport to change plastic foam ban

FREEPORT, Maine – Shaw’s Supermarkets is asking the town to change its 14-year-old ordinance prohibiting plastic foam packaging at retail stores.

Shaw’s is planning to open a 63,500 square-foot store off Interstate 95 next fall. In May, the company asked the town to consider amending its ordinance so it can use packaging made out of plastic foam, or Styrofoam, at its store.

Shaw’s representatives said the ordinance hampers the supermarket chain’s ability to package meat products safely.

Freeport adopted its plastic foam prohibition in 1989 after a group of children raised concerns about the material’s negative impact on the environment. The group’s initial target was McDonald’s and the Styrofoam containers it used to package its foods. McDonald’s then switched to non-polystyrene packaging.

The crusade landed two local children, Anna Brown and Bridget Sullivan-Stevens, on NBC’s “Today Show,” where they were interviewed by Bryant Gumbel.

Teresa Edington, a spokeswoman for the company, said in a written statement that Shaw’s was unaware of the ordinance until the end of the permitting process for the Freeport store.

“Upon notification of this ordinance, Shaw’s immediately began researching the impact that this ordinance would have on providing our customers with safe, quality food products,” Edington wrote.

Rodney Regier, chairman of the town’s Ordinance Committee, said a company can be granted an exemption to the ordinance if it has a Styrofoam recycling program.

He said Shaw’s was expected to appear Monday before the Ordinance Committee, which would then make a recommendation to the Town Council. The council has the final vote on the matter.

Shaw’s is the first company to challenge the ordinance since it was adopted, Regier said.