WASHINGTON — When the House returns today from a week-long recess, members and staffers will see something that hasn’t been in the Capitol for four years: polystyrene.
In the first move toward phasing out part of Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s “Green the Capitol” program, plastic foam cups have been reintroduced in the Capitol’s mini-cafeteria. The program brought climate-friendly vending machines and compact fluorescent light bulbs to the Capitol, caused the Capitol Power Plant to switch from burning coal to natural gas, and reduced energy and water consumption in Capitol buildings. But the $475,000 composting program’s biodegradable utensils and trays made of cornstarch led to take-away boxes that leaked, spoons that melted and forks that broke easily.
Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Calif., said the program would be suspended, saying “it is neither cost-effective nor energy-efficient.” The Washington Post
