Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) most commonly known by the brand name “Styrofoam” poses serious problems to the environment and human health. manufactured from fossil fuels it is frequently used for takeout food containers and packaging materials. Typically thrown away after a single use, plastic foam breaks up into smaller pieces that are difficult to clean up and disperse easily, polluting the environment for decades (probably centuries). Styrene, the chemical building block of polystyrene, is considered “probably carcinogenic” by the World Health Organization and has been found to leach out of EPS foam containers at all temperatures, posing a threat to human health before it is even thrown away.
EPS is by its very nature bulky with a low density and prone to contamination making it extremely difficult to recycle on a commercial scale and even when it is “recycled” it is often used for combustion rather than new materials.
EPS represents up to 30% of all landfill space in the U.S. by volume and due to polystyrene’s physical properties, it make for a perfect pollutant. Its lightweight composition and buoyancy allow EPS to easily float and travel far distances, breaking up in landfills and the environment to be blown by the wind into our waterways and on to our beaches with EPS products often being one of the most common types of beach trash. From the waterways, polystyrene represents a huge threat to ocean wildlife due to its toxicity and ability to contaminate everything around it.
EPS foam also disintegrates over time in water without actually degrading, creating thousands of microplastics that spread throughout the oceans, endangering wildlife for thousands of years. Scientists continue to study the consequences of microplastics on ocean animals, finding evidence that polystyrene particles cause digestion problems, clog appendages, and bioaccumulate in fatty tissue.
Given the myriad of issues with EPS to our health and the environment around us it is imperative that we push our respective governments to the legislate this material as close to out of existence as is feasible. This is not about finding a better way to recycle it or break it down so we can make more. Rather alternantives need to be implemented and EPS needs to cease production. Luckily this is being recognized by more and more goverments. So far, 11 US states and hundreds of cities have passed laws to phase out single use EPS, now is the time for a nationwide ban. Delaware became the 11th state to pass a law to reduce plastic foam, joining California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, Washington as well as the District of Columbia. More than 250 cities and counties have also passed restrictions on plastic foam.
According to polling data the majority of American voters support policies to reduce the use of plastic foam foodware, packing peanuts, and coolers. Now is the time to legislate a nationwide EPS ban of non essential items. Contact your government to support such bans and use alternatives when possible.
Sources and links
full text of the national Farewell to Foam act