Ban on EPS Foam

Recycling has become a large part of the way we responsibly dispose of things that are no longer needed. According to the Town of Tolland Resident’s Guide to Solid Waste and Recycling Disposal guidelines, there are some items that cannot be recycled, including Styrofoam.

Although this form of plastic is actually polystyrene, we are more familiar with its trademarked name, Styrofoam. Polystyrene is formed from synthetic chemicals and non-renewable fossil fuels (beachapedia.org). A subsection of polystyrene is expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam, which is predominantly used for single use plates, cups, and shipment packaging.

So why is this an issue? For starters, EPS is not biodegradable, which means that microorganisms, including fungi and bacteria, cannot easily break it down to get it back into the environment. Instead, EPS breaks into smaller pieces that can easily be mistaken by wildlife as food which instead take up space within their digestive system, thereby not providing the animal with needed nutrients. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation reports that Americans typically throw away 25 million Styrofoam cups every year and the US Environmental Protection Agency notes these cups can take approximately 50 years to decompose. On top of this, the synthetic chemicals used to create this artificial material could leach out into the environment if it comes in contact with a highly acidic liquid. Increased use of synthetic chemicals would impact the quality of accessible water for both wildlife and humans. And finally, EPS cannot be recycled, which means it ends up as an increasingly large percentage in landfills.

We should all strive to increase our personal efforts to lessen the blow that we have on our environment. Some efforts are relatively easy, such as foregoing Styrofoam cups and opting instead for reusable cups and mugs. Some involve more commitment from our local and state communities, following the lead of New York, NY, Huntington Beach, CA, and Portland, OR, which have already placed bans or restrictions on the use of EPS foam.

https://www.livestrong.com/article/159954-facts-about-landfill-styrofoam/
http://www.beachapedia.org/Polystyrene
https://storyofstuff.org/blog/styrofoam-bans-are-sweeping-across-the-nation/
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/reduce-styrofoam-cup-use-79369.html

Image: http://www.greenmax-machine.co...