New York State could soon join Maine and become the second U.S. state to ban polystyrene food containers.

Amir Ameli and Xiao Zhang of Washington State University have created a more environmentally-friendly alternative to polystyrene foam (better known as Styrofoam) which performs better than Styrofoam as an insulator and can support up to 200 times its own weight without losing its shape.

As You Sow, a shareholder advocacy group, is calling for McDonalds’ to conduct assessments to examine the environmental impact the use of polystyrene in their cups and trays may have.