New York restaurants will no longer be able to use plastic foam containers when a citywide ban goes into effect July 1. Mayor Bill de Blasio also plans to do away with single-use foam items, such as cups, plates, trays and clamshell containers used at eateries, stores and manufacturers.

CBS New York reports the mayor's administration will begin fining establishments who violate the ban beginning next January. The sale of polystyrene loose fill packaging, such as packing peanuts, will also be banned in the city, though shippers can still use them in packages coming to New York from other places.

"These products cause real environmental harm and have no place in New York City," de Blasio said in a statement. "We have better options, better alternatives, and if more cities across the country follow our lead and institute similar bans, those alternatives will soon become more plentiful and will cost less."

Over a year ago, the New York City Council passed a measure that gave foam-container manufacturers 12 months to prove their products could be successfully ­recycled, New York Post reports, but in light of the ban, it seems they could not do so.

Meanwhile, it is unclear if de Blasio's ban will also apply to street vendors and small businesses. The Associated Press reports nonprofits and businesses with less than $500,000 in annual revenue could qualify for an exemption, though they would need to show that using non-foam materials would cause them financial hardship.

Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia elaborated on the rationale behind the mayor's decision in a statement.

"While much of the waste we produce can be recycled or reused, polystyrene foam is not one of those materials," Garcia said. "Removing polystyrene from our waste stream is not only good for a greener, more sustainable New York, but also for the communities who are home to landfills receiving the city's trash."

Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg tried to enact a similar ban two years ago, but the proposal did not pass at the time.

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