On Monday, the Brunswick Town Council will hold a hearing on a proposal to ban the use of polystyrene foam — better known as Styrofoam — food and beverage packing for retail vendors including restaurants, grocery stores and delicatessens. The town itself would be barred from using Styrofoam food and beverage containers at any town-sponsored event, and ban any town department from purchasing or acquiring Styrofoam.

Some may argue that this is another example of government hassling business, impeding economic growth.

We feel that we need to look at the broader picture.

According to the draft ordinance, there is no economically feasible means of recycling polystyrene foam locally. Once it’s in the ecosystem, Styrofoam fragments, but it doesn’t biodegrade. It is often ingested by wildlife — including marine life.

There are biodegradable alternatives to Styrofoam. Those alternatives are more costly, and businesses will likely need to pass the cost onto the consumer, but we think that it’s worth it.

Sipping your Dunkin’ Donuts coffee from a foam container is a small luxury, but a luxury nonetheless. Paying a few more cents more for your Dunkaccino is a small price to pay to help save the environment.

We support the foam ban.

The group pushing for the foam ban — BYOB Midcoast — will also be asking Brunswick and Topsham to institute a 5-cent fee for every single-use, carry-out plastic and paper BAG at all retail stores, including grocery stores, pharmacies and convenience stores.

Unlike your trip to Dunkin’, food shopping is a necessity. Walmart, Hannaford, Target and Shaw’s all use single-use, predominantly plastic bags.

The proposed fee includes paper bags, which will biodegrade under the right conditions (i.e., not a watertight landfill). However, BYOB argues that the process under which the bags are manufactured harms the environment.

BYOB provides a one-year grace period for those on SNAP benefits. But after that, those on SNAP will be stuck with the 5-cent surcharge, just like everyone else.

In a day and age of rising costs of food, rent and energy, the last thing the poor need is another financial burden, even at 5 cents a bag.

BYOB has raised funds to hand out free bags too, as a way to ease the transition. But will BYOB still be handing out free bags in a year’s time? How about in five years? Ten?

And where does the 5 cent fee go?

“We are recommending that retailers keep the fee, which they can use for any legal purpose they see fit,” according to BYOB.

Again, we look at the broader picture. Both plastic and paper bags can be recycled, and we should be looking at ways to encourage recycling.

Should the proposal be amended to provide a SNAP exemption in perpetuity — and extended to WIC, we could get behind it.

We recognize the threat remnants of plastic bags pose to the environment, and believe the compassion and ingenuity residing in our communities can lead to a fair and common sense solution.

But penalizing everyone, regardless of income, isn’t the answer.