Jerry Moran: “At the beginning of the year, the House did away with the composting program that had been part of the Green the Capitol…”

“At the beginning of the year, the House did away with the composting program that had been part of the Green the Capitol Initiative. It has been a success. People around the country were watching it and in fact following the example that we set. But at the beginning of the year, as I say, the House of Representatives instituted the use of polystyrene containers instead of clean, biodegradable material. My amendment would limit the use of funds made available by this Legislative Branch appropriations bill to obtain polystyrene products in our food service facilities. We should show our commitment to the health of our visitors and our employees and to the future of our environment. We should lead by example. That's the program that we had in place until this January. The House should be using recyclable and biodegradable products and should be avoiding polystyrene foam packaging. We should be a model institution for others to follow. As the gentleman from Vermont said, over 20 years ago, McDonalds and other fast food restaurants replaced polystyrene foam with recyclable and paperboard containers. Making that our standard is the least we can do. The House of Representatives is the only member of the Capitol Complex to revert to foam packaging. Neither the Senate, the Library of Congress, nor the Capitol Visitors Center food service centers use polystyrene products. Congress should be setting the standard for sustainability in the 21st century.…”