Mayor Bloomberg will BAN Styrofoam in New York City because it's almost impossible to recycle Green mayor: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed to outlaw Styrofoam containers as part of a wide push to increase recycling First he went after cigarettes and trans-fats, then he cracked down on extra-large soda cups, and now New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to ban Styrofoam take-out containers. The three-term mayor is expected to outline his plan in his State of the City address Thursday. Excerpts from the speech were made available to reporters in advance. 'One product that is virtually impossible to recycle and never bio-degrades is Styrofoam,' Bloomberg said. Something that we know is environmentally destructive and that may be hazardous to our health, that is costing taxpayers money and that we can easily do without, and is something that should go the way of lead paint. The proposal to outlaw extruded polystyrene, commonly known as Styrofoam, is part of a wider push to increase recycling and make the city greener. In the address, Bloomberg's 12th as mayor, he said his administration would work with the City Council to ban Styrofoam food packaging from stores and restaurants. We can live without it. We may live longer without it. And the doggie bag will survive just fine,' Bloomberg stated in his remarks. Recycling nightmare: Extruded polystyrene, commonly known as Styrofoam, makes lightweight and heat-retaining containers, but the material takes a long time to break down Pollution problem: An estimated 20,000 tons of Styrofoam enter the city's waste stream each year Polystyrene foam makes lightweight, heat-retaining containers, but environmentalists have long been calling for a ban on the material because of how long it takes to break down. Steve Russell, vice president of the American Chemistry Council, a trade group, told Fox News that recycling polystyrene was something to look at instead of a ban. An estimated 20,000 tons of Styrofoam enter the city's waste stream each year, and it can add an estimated $20 per ton to the cost of recycling because it needs to be removed from the recycling stream, the city told NBC. Some communities around the country have barred eateries from using to-go containers made of it. A similar proposal has stalled in New York's City Council in recent years. War on obesity: Bloomberg pushed through a ban on surgery soft drinks over 16 ounces in restaurants and stores Crackdown: Bloomberg had previously outlawed smoking in bars and restaurants, left, and banned the use of harmful trans-fats in fast food, right, Like Bloomberg's past initiatives to ban cigarettes from bars and restaurants, eliminate trans-fats from fast food and ban the use of soda containers larger than 16oz, the Styrofoam ban is likely to meet opposition from small businesses since containers made from "greener" materials cost more. Other environmentally friendly proposals laid out in the address include the installation of curbside vehicle chargers for electric cars and the construction of a new recycling plant that will be able to process plastics that were not accepted before. The city is also planning to launch a pilot program on State Island that will take food waste from homes and turn it into compost for city parks.