FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KFSM) -- The City Council in Fayetteville passed a citywide ban on foam products as an attempt to go green.
The ban extends to all restaurants, hotels, grocery stores and any other business using foam products to serve or distribute food and beverages. The ban passed unanimously and includes all cups, plates, clamshell containers and any other products made from foam.
Dana Cash owns Funktown Food Truck and said for small local spots like his, this is going to be a difficult transition.
"For the small business and especially food trucks, the margins are already thin, there is hardly any wiggle room," Cash said. "It's just going to be a struggle."
Since the ban was proposed, Cash said he's been searching for alternatives that won't break the bank.
"Lowest cost we could find was more than double of what we pay for the Styrofoam," Cash said.
Russell Ingram owns and operates Dots Nashville Hot Chicken and stands behind the change. Ingram has been used green products for two and a half years since he opened.
“I think it’s a good thing, but I think the city also needs to kind of step back and look at how much it’s going to hurt and affect the small food trucks out here," Ingram said. "They have to compensate for that somehow, or they are going to drive out all the businesses they want to keep in the city.”
The decision to ban the products comes as an effort to cut back on the negative impact on the environment and health risks associated with these products.
Cash said some small operations like his might have to end up increasing prices to offset the financial hit the ban will bring.
This ban officially goes into place on May 1, 2020.