Your takeout box may look a little different next week. Starting July 1, Virginia’s ban on expanded polystyrene food containers, better known as Styrofoam, expands to all food vendors. That includes restaurants, food trucks, cafeterias, schools and other places serving prepared food. Some vendors say the switch to paper, plastic or compostable containers could raise costs, but supporters say the change will help cut down on foam trash that sticks around for years. Local businesses can ask their city or county for a hardship exemption, but for most places, the foam era is coming to an end.
