Tyngsborough Scouts Urge Styrofoam Ban, Committee Plans School Meeting

Sustainability Committee · Meeting of June 16, 2026

Tyngsborough Sustainability Committee hears Girl Scout Styrofoam pitch, targets school superintendent for follow-up. Three fifth-grade Girl Scouts from Troop 83838 presented to the committee June 16, arguing that Tyngsborough has no policy restricting Styrofoam while neighboring Chelmsford bans polystyrene containers at food establishments and Westford hosts drop-off recycling events. The scouts noted that roughly 700 students at Tyngsborough Elementary School use Styrofoam lunch trays across approximately 180 school days a year, trays the school once washed and reused before abandoning the practice during COVID-19.

Chair Diana Keohane committed to meeting with Superintendent Mike Woodlock and said the committee would explore a bylaw banning Styrofoam in schools and at restaurants, modeled on a Girl Scout-led plastic bag ban that passed town meeting years ago. The committee also reported its May 2 Zero Waste Day drew 78 residents and collected approximately 6,000 pounds of material, down from 10,600 pounds the prior fall after a Household Goods vendor canceled last-minute, and voted unanimously to approve its April 21 meeting minutes.

In the full story:

• Background and stakes
• The question before the body
• Substantive content
• The deliberation
• Procedural steps and outcome
• Implications and what is next
• The complete report — 2,938 words

Source: the Sustainability Committee meeting of June 16, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.