following fpa representation at last night&rsquos oxford city council licensing committee meeting 27 january 2015 the council moved to leave it up to food vendors to decide what type of packaging to use provided they show that they are making correct arrangements for waste collection.the fpa&rsquos martin kersh told the council that a foam ban would do nothing to reduce litter, as it would simply be replaced by litter of another material. the issue of biodegradability was also raised along with the need to view eps and all materials in a whole lifecycle capacity. councillors accepted that eps is recyclable and although the oxford city council waste collectors, oxford direct services, do not have current provision for eps, other service providers do &ndash vendors are able to contract to a provider of choice.the councillors agreed that the type of packaging used would have no effect on littering and that the phrasing of the bylaw should be amended to be biodegradable or recyclable &ndash accepting that eps falls into the latter category.the fpa offered to work with the council of the issue of littering and the possibility of additional labelling on takeaway food packaging.fpa executive director martin kersh said &ldquoproper representation has ensured the council has fallen short of a ban on eps food packaging. however we need to encourage waste collectors, including oxford direct services, to introduce eps collections and work with food vendors to ensure that they make the correct arrangements for the packaging they are using. it&rsquos important vendors know that eps is not banned by oxford city council &ndash but they do face greater responsibility in ensuring their waste is properly disposed of. we will be talking to the national caterers association, which represents mobile and outside caterers, to provide advice on collection and labellingsignage.&rdquofor more information contact executive director martin kersh on 07711 142789 or email admin@foodservicepackaging.org.ukends28 january 2015issued on behalf of the fpa by leapfrog pr. editorial contact is felicity read on 01242 282 or email felicity @leapfrog pr.com 
