Waste Reduction
Eliminate Use of Styrofoam
What Is It?
Styrofoam (also known as polystyrene foam) is made from petroleum and takes more than 500 years to biodegrade. Many restaurants use Styrofoam cups and containers for single serving or use purposes, which generates huge amounts of long-lasting waste. In fact, Americans throw away 25 billion Styrofoam cups every year.
Benefits
Removing Styrofoam from the waste stream prevents it from clogging landfills and escaping into rivers and oceans, where it can persist for centuries and release hazardous toxins as it breaks down. These harmful side effects can be eliminated by purchasing and using Styrofoam alternatives such as paper, cornstarch-based containers, or biodegradable containers.
NEWS
- “San Francisco just issued the country’s broadest ban on Styrofoam,” The Huffington Post, July 5, 2016
- “3 sustainable alternatives to polystyrene,” TriplePundit, April 30, 2015
- “Say goodbye to Styrofoam,” Columbia Earth Institute blog, March 11, 2015
- “More cities ban polystyrene foam, citing environment” USA Today, December 21, 2013
Resources
- Earth Resource Foundation: Polystyrene Foam Report
- Earth911: Polystyrene
a sample of Providers
- Non-Styrofoam food containers:
- Fold-Pak
- Cedar Grove: List of biodegradable products
