Just say no to polystyrene

There are no words to express my extreme distaste for polystyrene, better known as styrofoam.  You are most familiar with styrofoam as food and beverage containers and packing material.  While it probably seemed like a miracle solution when it was discovered in 1839, because of its inability to biodegrade, polystyrene is a huge environmental pollutant.

Think about your experience with styrofoam for a moment.  Who hasn’t picked apart a foam cup into tiny pieces?  Or played with tiny styrofoam packing materials?  These showcase the biggest problem with styrofoam.  While it does not biodegrade, it does break down into smaller and smaller pieces.  And because the pieces are very light, they are easily blown by the wind and float on water.  Recently, I was doing a local beach clean-up and I focused on the hundreds of tiny pieces of styrofoam that I found on the beach.  Hard to see, but deadly.  Marine wildlife, including fish, birds and mammals often mistake tiny polystyrene bits as food and digest them.  Research has suggested that the chemicals in polystyrene foam can cause cancer and leach into food and drinks.

So it’s a problem, but what can we do about it?  Cities around the U.S. are banning polystyrene food containers, including my great city of San Francisco.  You can find a list of CA cities that have similar bans here.  Other regions include Portland, OR and Suffolk County in New York state.  Even better, California is now considering a statewide bill, AB 1358, which bans polystyrene food containers.

You can help by:

1. Discontinuing use of any polystyrene products in favor of more sustainable solutions
2. If you live in a city with a polystyrene ban on food containers, keep your eyes open!  If you see a restaurant in violation, report it!  You can do so in San Francisco by clicking here.
3. Support AB 1358 by writing your CA state senators and assembly members and letting them know why you too hate styrofoam.