(CNN) Maryland is well on its way to becoming the first state to ban foam.

The Legislature has approved bills to ban polystyrene -- commonly known as plastic foam -- cups and food containers. If a final measure is passed and the governor signs it, Maryland would be the first state to implement such a ban, environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council says.

Democratic Delegate Brooke Lierman is the primary sponsor of the House bill. She said banning foam products is the first step to curbing people's reliance on single-use plastics.

"Single-use plastics are overrunning our oceans and bays and neighborhoods," Lierman told CNN. "We need to take dramatic steps to start stemming our use and reliance on them ... to leave future generations a planet full of wildlife and green space."

Lierman proposed the bill twice before but says she believes public opinion has now shifted to recognize the problem with plastic.

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