Legislation that would have made California the first state to ban the use of polystyrene foam food containers in restaurants was shelved last week, but lawmakers say they will revisit the bill in early 2012.

Senate Bill 568, which would have required foodservice operators to phase out their use of polystyrene containers by January 2016, passed the state Senate and two committees of the Assembly. It was scheduled to come before the full Assembly for a vote last week, but bill authors decided to hold off because it just missed the number of votes needed for passage.

If re-introduced in January, as author Sen. Alan Lowenthal (D) plans, the bill can be picked up where it is before the full assembly, said John Casey, the senator’s chief of staff.

“We’re close,” Casey said. “We just need a little more time to get a few more folks behind it.”

The ban’s supporters contend that polystyrene is a leading cause of beach debris and accounts for about 15 percent of storm drain litter. Researchers say the material often ends up in the ocean, where it breaks down and can harm marine life.

Across California, 51 jurisdictions have already enacted bans on foam food containers, according to the nonprofit environmental group Clean Water Action, which supported the state-level ban.

The California Restaurant Association opposed the state bill, saying a ban would not reduce the amount of litter.