Glen Cove, NY Single-Use Items: Takeout Containers (2026)
Key Facts
- Banned materials
- Polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride containers/utensils
- Governing section
- City Code § 235-15
- Packaging requirement
- Food must be sold in biodegradable packaging
- Added
- October 25, 1988
- First-offense fine
- $1,000 to $2,000
- Key exemptions
- Raw meat wrap, hospital/nursing home packaging
Summary
Glen Cove bars every retail food establishment from selling food in anything but biodegradable packaging, and separately bans giving customers any eating utensil or food container made of polystyrene or polyvinyl chloride, under City Code § 235-15. The ban has applied since Article II of Chapter 235 was added in 1988.
No retail food establishment located and doing business within the City of Glen Cove shall sell or convey food directly to ultimate consumers within the City of Glen Cove unless such food is placed, wrapped or packed in biodegradable packaging at the conclusion of a sales transaction for the purchase of such food, which takes place on the premises of such a retail food establishment at or near a sales counter or equivalent customer purchasing station, but prior to removal of such food from the premises of such retail food establishment. ... No retail food establishment located and doing business within the City of Glen Cove shall sell, give or provide eating utensils or food containers to any consumers within the City of Glen Cove if such eating utensil or food container is composed of polystyrene or polyvinyl chloride.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 5003439; v76 updated 2026-08-26; through 08-26-2026).
Full Breakdown
Section 235-15 sets two distinct rules. Subsection A requires that food sold by a retail food establishment be placed, wrapped or packed in biodegradable packaging before it leaves the store, at or near the sales counter, at the conclusion of the transaction. Subsection B is the foam and PVC-specific piece: no retail food establishment may sell, give or provide eating utensils or food containers made of polystyrene or polyvinyl chloride to any customer. Section 235-14's findings explain why: the City Council determined that discarded packaging was the largest single category of waste in Glen Cove's stream, that polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride are not readily recyclable, and that burning them together leaves a heavier ash residue that can generate dioxin or hydrochloric acid.
Section 235-17 carves out exemptions from the ban: flexible transparent wrap for uncooked meat, poultry, fish, hard cheese, cold cuts and produce; packaging used at hospitals or nursing homes; paper or cellulose-based packaging coated with polyethylene on only one side; and any container, lid, utensil or straw that simply isn't made of polystyrene or polyvinyl chloride in the first place. The Director of Public Works is empowered under § 235-16 to issue implementing rules, and the article is enforced by the City of Glen Cove under § 235-18.
Violations & Fines
Section 235-19 punishes a violation of Article II the same way Article I's dumping penalties do: a first conviction draws a fine of $1,000 to $2,000 or up to 15 days in jail, or both; a second within five years rises to $2,000-$3,500; and a third within five years of that reaches $3,500-$5,000, with each week of a continuing violation a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are foam containers banned in Glen Cove?
What packaging must Glen Cove food sellers use instead?
Are any food packages exempt from the foam ban?
What's the penalty for violating Glen Cove's foam ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Glen Cove
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