Goal For The Green

The Dow Chemical Company has a trademark on the name Styrofoam. It is also known as polystyrene, or EPS (expanded polystyrene).  On the recycling symbol it is #6.   Made of about 98% air and and 2% plastic, it is a terrible problem in the waste stream.  The problem is about 30% of this “puffystuff” still makes it to a landfill, or worse yet, to the  Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

The frustrating thing about this, is that there is no escaping it.  Grocery store meat is packaged in it, along with its use as take out food containers, and medical containers.  You will find Polystyrene foam used most commonly in appliance packaging, plastic cups, CD and DVD cases, and of course the “peanuts” used in packaging and shipping.  UPS stores gladly accept the “peanuts” , but not the molded forms of Styrofoam.

From a Health standpoint, this is bad stuff.  Polystyrene, (and all plastics) are petroleum products.  It is highly flammable, and contains benzene (a known carcinogen) that is used in its production.  To think that this toxic material comes in direct contact with our food is appalling.  Yet, it will be a long time before the use of this is outlawed. Recently, nearly two dozen cities have banned the use of Polystyrene for food packaging.

Due to the economy, California  legislators have tabled the Assembly Bill 1358, before it was due for a vote. The bill would have made the state the first in the nation to ban Styrofoam food containers.  In a recent analysis, the bill required all paper take out containers to have a 100% post consumer content.  It was felt that this could have become “problematic,”  causing many food vendors to use even more plastic, and less paper.  Many complaints from restaurants, felt that the alternate (paper) materials weren’t performing as well as the insulating polystyrene.  With a lack of a composting infrastructure, and sufficient recycling facilities in place, along with a sagging economy, the idea to ban polystyrene became infeasible.

Liter audits, conducted in 2008, in San Francisco, show that its ban of the foam packaging, has not reduced liter.  There was a 36% reduction of polystyrene , but it was offset by an equal increase in coated paperboard. The thought is now, that a ban won’t make a difference, when it is just a substitute, or trade of one liter problem for another.

Most cities in the U.S. , are doing a great job of recycling plastics, paper, glass and aluminum.  However, have you noticed how difficult it is to find a place to recycle this stuff?  Yes, it costs 2-3 times less than most other alternatives.  Yes, it is lightweight, taking up only 0.01 percent of a municipalities solid waste stream.  But, the weight isn’t the problem, it’s the volume (space) it takes up in a landfill. Worse than that, is the fact that it does not biodegrade!

Please refer to this article at Earth 911.com for methods of recycling EPS and Styrofoam.  Keep in mind, though, that the suggestions offered do not include disposal of food containers or containers used for medical waste.

On a lighter note, scientist at Sony have discovered that limonene- a natural oil that can be extracted from the skin of oranges and other citrus fruit, will completely dissolve EPS.  It dissolves the EPS at room temperature, and then it can be processed for reuse.  Now, that’s what I call working toward a better tomorrow!

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