Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut are getting ready to ditch polystyrene foam packaging at all of their restaurants.

The chains' parent company, Yum! Brands, announced the move yesterday. The change will affect Yum restaurants worldwide.

The company is aiming to eliminate the foam packaging by 2022.

The company said it is continuing work on an earlier pledge by Taco Bell to make all its packaging recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2025. KFC also previously pledged to make all plastic-based consumer-facing packaging recoverable or reusable by 2025.

Foam packaging has become an increasingly frequent target of environmental activists. McDonald's pledged to stop using the material for packaging in 2018. Dunkin' Brands has said it will also stop.

Oswego is set to ban foam packaging later this year. New York is considering a statewide ban.

The Yum! decision came after a shareholder proposal urging action on foam packaging from As You Sow, a nonprofit that promotes environmental causes through shareholder advocacy and other strategies. The group said its proposal ultimately won the support of 33 percent of Yum! shares last year.

The organization refiled its proposal this year, but has now withdrawn it.

A CNY city leads the way as state looks to ban foam containers (No, it’s not Ithaca)

"This action could significantly reduce the amount of single-use packaging that ends up as littered waste, especially in developing economies where Yum! does substantial business," Conrad MacKerron, senior vice president at As You Sow, said in a news release.

Expanded polystyrene foam packaging, sometimes known as Styrofoam, is used in beverage cups and takeout containers, according to As You Sow. It's a frequent component of beach litter, where it breaks down into indigestible pellets and is often consumed by animals, sometimes leading to death.

As You Sow said it was also involved in McDonald's decision on foam packaging.

Yum! has over 49,000 restaurants in over 145 countries.

Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598

Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.