Most of us are aware that styrofoam is harmful to the environment, but not all of us know the reason why. In fact, this single-use plastic has been widely used globally that people rarely stop and realize what it’s actually made of.

Styrofoam is the marketed name for expanded polystyrene (EPS). Polystyrene is a petroleum-based plastic that is made by steaming and expanding processed chemicals until they expand to 50 times their original volume.

Then after cooling and settling, the pre-expanded beads are blown into a mold – such as a drinking cup. The process is repeated until the mold is completely filled and all of the polymer beads have fused together.

It has been a popular choice for restaurants and fast-foods since it’s a lightweight and inexpensive insulating material. It offers good insulation that keep food cold or hot plus it has relatively cheap manufacturing costs.

What makes it so bad for the environment?

In recent years, the impact of global warming has started to become more apparent. Such as the storms and hurricanes causing extreme flooding in major cities all over the globe. There are many factors for the flooding but as soon as the flood water recedes, chances are we’ll see a lot of plastic waste all over.

Since they can’t be recycled, styrofoam containers are often dumped in a landfill. It can be incinerated, however, if not burned in a special incinerator it will release harmful toxins such as carbon black and carbon monoxide.

Statistics also show that Americans alone throw away 25,000,000,000 Styrofoam coffee cups annually. This staggering figure may seem a lot, but not compared to the 100 billion plastic bags used by Americans every year.

Styrofoam is indeed harmful to the environment, but it can also be detrimental to us as well. Factory workers who have prolonged exposure to polystyrene can lead to dizziness, confusion, headaches, feelings of intoxication, and other health effects.

If ordinary citizens aren’t affected then think again.

This non-biodegradable pollutant may also be carcinogenic for humans. It can even pollute our oceans since they also have absorbent properties, as mentioned to BBC by Douglas McCauley, a marine biology professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

“Polystyrene foams essentially act like little pollutant sponges, picking up and concentrating some of the nastiest contaminants in the ocean,” McCauley says. “Then something like a sea turtle comes along and eats this thinking it is a jellyfish.”

Are there any alternatives?

Because of the cheap cost and manufacturing, most industries and businesses won’t switch to a better alternative. Most restaurants, for example, are afraid to purchase recyclable products since the additional cost would then have to be passed down to their customers.

However, there are many options that businesses can choose from when it comes to finding the right alternative to styrofoam.

One company called Ecovative Design has manufactured a line of products made from a combination of fungi, recycled paper, and agricultural waste. The items are also well-insulated and lightweight juts like styrofoam, but much better for the environment.

There are also tons of natural resources and biodegradable waste which can be converted to lunch boxes for example. These renewable resources are paper, bamboo, hemp, or corn plastic to name a few.

Time for a change

A lot of cities and countries have thankfully banned the use of styrofoam takeout containers. Recently, Maryland became the first state in the US to successfully pass a bill prohibiting the use of these products.

The law went into effect last October 1, 2020, and was first approved during the 2019 state legislative session. The law affects several restaurants and schools which utilize styrofoam and it also includes banning the use of items such as cups, plates, carryout containers, and trays.

Democratic Delegate Brooke Lierman, the main sponsor of the House bill, told CNN that “Single-use plastics are overrunning our oceans and bays and neighborhoods. We need to take dramatic steps to start stemming our use and reliance on them … to leave future generations a planet full of wildlife and green space.”

However, while the general public agrees to the ban, the American Chemistry Council voiced their opposition to the ban.

“Polystyrene foam packaging and containers provide business owners and consumers with a cost-effective and environmentally preferable choice that is ideal for protecting food and preventing food waste, particularly when used for food service. Foam packaging is generally more than 90 percent air and has a lighter environmental impact than alternatives,” the council said in a statement.

Experts say that we have unfortunately passed the point of no return for global warming, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t at least help in alleviating the effects of such. Many countries have banned styrofoam and other states in the US are planning to do this too in the foreseeable future.

Watch the video below to see how local businesses are handling the recent ban in Maryland.

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Source: Power of Positivity, CNN