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Cutting out polystyrene
Photograph by Christine Glade/istockphoto
Take a walk anywhere near a populated area of the South Bay and you’re likely to come across one of our most problematic polluters: polystyrene take-out containers. Like plastic bags, uncountable numbers of these long-lasting containers are literally blowing in the wind around San Francisco Bay. Although attempts are being made to ban these pervasive plastics on a statewide level, for now, it’s up to city governments to put an end to the clutter.
In July of 2009, a California bill that would have placed a statewide ban on polystyrene and other non-recyclable, disposable food containers was shelved for a year due to concerns about the impact it would have on California’s economy. If passed, it would have made California the first state to ban the use of polystyrene for restaurant disposables.
Even though the statewide ban has been shelved, over 30 California cities and counties, including San Francisco and Oakland, have banned the use of polystyrene take-out food containers. They have followed the lead of Berkeley, which in 1990 was the first city in the nation to enact such a ban.
Polystyrene, more commonly known as styrofoam, is a petroleum-based plastic made from the styrene monomer. Polystyrene is the second most common type of beach debris in California and it comprises 15 percent of street litter. No one is sure how long it takes to decompose, but polystyrene foam is known to break up into pieces, which can choke animals and clog their digestive systems. While proponents state that it is possible to recycle polystyrene, it is not a "closed loop" process. This means that polystyrene cups are not remanufactured into cups, but into other products, such as packing filler. New resources are then used to produce more polystyrene cups.
Concerns about polystyrene are more than just environmental. Styrene, a chemical in polystyrene, is a known animal carcinogen, and a human neurotoxin (a toxin that acts on nerve cells). It migrates easily into food and beverages when foam containers are heated or come into contact with acids like lemon juice and fats or oils.
The bottom line: If you take out food from a restaurant, make sure that it comes in a recycled or compostable green-certified container, not one made of polystyrene.
Marlene Zobayan is the founder of ConsumerChange.com, a website that enables consumers to advocate green-business practices to retailers. They have just released an iPhone app to allow consumers to report the use of disposable polystyrene food containers.
