Ban Styrofoam Plates in School Lunches

Ban Styrofoam Plates in School Lunches

As a follow up of last weeks article , we are posting this to create public awareness about the impacts of Styrofoam on environment and health.

Styrofoam plates are considered detrimental to human health and environment.

Styrofoam plates are the fifth largest creator of hazardous waste. For example, New York City public schools discard 850,000 Styrofoam lunch trays every day. They take 1+ million years to decompose naturally. “These products cause real environmental harm, and we need to be able to prevent nearly 30,000 tons of expanded polystyrene waste from entering our landfills, streets and waterways” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia had insisted the city would save $400,000 a year if 40 percent less Styrofoam went into landfills. NYC is in the process of implementing the ban on Styrofoam. Dozens of other cities, including Washington, D.C., Minneapolis and San Francisco, have also banned the stuff. Several communities in the United States have banned polystyrene and styrofoam use for food service.

Below are the environmental and human health impacts of Styrofoam.

• Polystyrene and styrofoam are leading components of litter throughout our area and the world, polluting streets, parks, waterways, beaches and the oceans.
• Styrofoam and polystyrene are made from styrene, a liquid petrochemical. Oil and gas used to make styrene are non-renewable resources and their extraction harms the environment.
• In 2011, styrene was identified by the National Institutes of Health in its 12th Report on Carcinogens as a “reasonably anticipated” carcinogen in humans. Styrofoam and polystyrene containers readily leach styrene into food and liquids.
• Styrofoam and polystyrene plastics contaminated by food and drink are not recycled. Discarded polystyrene and styrofoam cups, clamshells, utensils, etc. are landfilled or incinerated.

Styrofoam is made of polystyrene, which is petroleum based plastic and causes several health effects including irritation of the skin, eyes, and upper respiratory tract, and gastrointestinal effects. It is also a possible human carcinogen. Chronic exposure to polystyrene can lead to depression, headache, fatigue, and minor effects on kidney function.

Styrofoam has a low density and thus floats, so it accumulates along coasts and waterways and becomes a large factor in marine debris. “The National Bureau of Standards Center for Fire Research noted 57 chemical byproducts released during the creation of Styrofoam. This not only pollutes the air, but also produces loads of liquid and solid waste that need disposal. The brominated flame retardants that are used on Styrofoam are also causing concern, and some research suggests that these chemicals might have negative environmental and health effects.” Chemical ingredients of Styrofoam have a negative impact on the ozone layer and contribute to global warming.

In light of these facts, we should consider alternatives to polystyrene and styrofoam for school lunches.

We don’t want to create new problems while trying to solve old ones! It is important to consider all environmental and health impacts of each alternative solution, or the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). This includes: use of raw and non-renewable resources; byproducts created by manufacturing; transport of product, raw materials, and waste products, and the cost of disposal, versus recycling or composting.

Some of the better options are Sugarcane bagasse, Corn, Bamboo, Paper/ wood pulp, Tapioca and Palm leaves.

If NY can, why not CT ? Let us kickstart this effort in our home town Trumbull and make it viral.

Please sign the below petition to show your support

https://www.change.org/p/school-administrator-board-of-education-department-of-education-stop-using-styrofoam-plates-in-school-lunch?recruiter=437624794&utm_campaign=signature_receipt&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition