This adds up to about a ton of trash per person every year that eventually ends up in a landfill. Chronic exposure affects the nervous system, causing symptoms like depression, headache, fatigue and weakness, and minor effects on kidney function and blood. Food service containers must be clean or rinsed. Every year Americans waste enough polystyrene that it could circle the Earth 426 times. The use of Styrofoam or other foamed polystyrene products is a personal choice. Styrofoam is a trademark named for a chemical compound called polystyrene. This strategy may work in the short term for not-for-profit organizations like municipal recycling facilities, but getting businesses on board has always been a hard sell. The U.S. annually uses over 75 million tons of paper and paperboard - about 600 pounds per person - and we currently recycle about 20 … Styrene leaches into foods and drinks served in Styrofoam containers, and according to the Earth Resource Foundation, the manufacture of Styrofoam releases large amounts of ozone into the atmosphere, causing respiratory and environmental issues. Recycled paper products are the best alternative, according to Earth Resource Foundation. A plastic or styrofoam cup used for a few minutes takes approximately 400 years to decompose. By volume, Styrofoam products fill up 25 to 30 percent of landfill space around the world. This figure includes 63 million pounds of post-consumer packaging and 55.7 million pounds of post-industrial recovery. I just wanted to say that there is a brand new Recycling Product called a Styrofoam Densifier which melts the Styrofoam in a ratio of 90:1 into a “rope-patty.” The Styrofoam is then bought back by the company that manufactures the densifiers, and the “recycled” styrofoam is transformed into eye-glass and … And keep in mind that the US alone makes around 3 million tons of styrofoam per year. Another method to reduce the use of Styrofoam is choosing eco-friendly alternative products instead. That’s a lot of avoidable waste. Learn more: From the land to the sea – How what we throw away ends up in the ocean That single-use Styrofoam cup doesn't just go away after you toss it in the bin. Mark Little began his professional writing career in 2009 with his work appearing on various websites. Styrofoam products have the tendency of easily breaking apart into small pieces making it a choke hazard to animals. ... Over 40% of all U.S. municipal solid waste consists of paper and paperboard products. Some estimates put the lifespan of styrofoam in a landfill around 500 years, and some put it way beyond that. Advantages of Using Foamed … The Bantar Gebang dump in Bekasi, Indonesia . One tree yields about 700 paper grocery bags, which will be consumed in less than 1 hour by a supermarket. By the end of this year, McDonald’s will phase out foam cups and containers worldwide, in favor of 100% recycled materials. A Recycling Revolution reports that packaging material makes up one-third of an average dump. Styrofoam is a lot like a plastic bag: it can sit in landfills for centuries, and it’s toxic when burned. ... the magnitude of plastic waste is well-tracked and some researchers specifically question its … Polystyrene is a petroleum-based plastic made from styrene monomers. ... Food waste is a growing, worldwide problem. The Ocean Protection Council estimates costs to clean up marine debris are close to $1 billion annually. The results of our analyses suggest that the real cost of Styrofoam outweighs the … NotesDrop-off: food service foam and packaging products. Styrofoam is a Dow Chemical Company trademark for a specific type of extruded polystyrene (EPS) foam used only for art supplies and insulation. Over 90,000 workers face exposure to the effects of styrene, the material in Styrofoam, each year in industries such as rubber and fiberglass manufacturing companies. In 2018, plastics generation was 35.7 million tons in the United States, which was 12.2 … Instead of cleaning up, just toss out paper plates, foam cups and plastic cutlery. Health effects from exposure to styrene include irritation of the skin, eyes and respiratory tract and gastrointestinal problems. He is certified as a sports nutritionist by the International Fitness Association. These recycling facts and information was compiled from various sources including the National Recycling Coalition, the Environmental Protection Agency, High County Conservation Center, Earth Resource Foundation, LiveStrong.com, All-Recycling-Facts.com, and Earth911.org. Styrofoam is a major environmental problem. Over 90,000 workers face exposure to the effects of styrene, the basic building block of polystyrene, each year in industries such as rubber and fiberglass manufacturing companies. Used in product packages and the shipping industry, the world produces tons of it each year. Styrofoam and Styrofoam products fill up 30 percent of our landfill space, and landfills are fast becoming full. Our model estimates the total hidden costs of Styrofoam (for the current production output of 3 million tons) at $7 billion annually. The Earth Resource Foundation reports that Styrofoam manufacturers were the fifth largest producer of toxic waste in 1986. Request aluminum foil instead of a take out box from your favorite restaurant. Landfills are quickly filling up and Styrofoam is an active contributor occupying more space than other waste. Always remember to PRECYCLE, reduce waste at the waste source  and choose environmentally friendly products. Styrofoam has the potential to affect the entire ecological system of this planet. Information on recycling of Styrofoam packaging can be found in Table 8 of the 2016 and 2017 Data Tables. Take a look at the full impact of styrofoam in the infographic below from Green Cell Foam. However if it is burned in a normal fire instead of in a specialized incinerator, it releases pollutants such as carbon black and carbon monoxide. The ubiquitous single-use plastic takes up 30% of landfill space- about 2.5 million tons or so of Styrofoam goes to the landfill every single year. University of Washington: Amazing Facts about Recycling, A Recycling Revolution: Aluminum Recycling Facts. Additionally, Styrofoam harms marine life. The DOW Chemical Company is the owner of several registrations for the trademark Styrofoam® which is used on Dow’s plastic foam insulation and construction products for use in residential, commercial, and … The solution to the Styrofoam problem is finding and using alternative materials. However, used improperly, it can quickly become an unsightly environmental nuisance and does have potential health risks. It takes approximately 201 tons worth of aluminum cans to make a Boeing 747. Styrofoam does not degrade or break down over time. Typically, those undertaking Styrofoam recycling have done so by operating at a loss — spending around $1,000 to recoup $200 worth of Styrofoam. On average, each one of us puts out about 5 pounds of trash a day. But even for conscientious consumers, sometimes Styrofoam … Despite regulations across Canada encouraging the collection and recycling of Styrofoam, 80 per cent of it ends up in Canada’s landfills and environment. Since "extruded polystyrene foam" is a little wordy, we'll call it EPS or polystyrene in this article. Little graduated from Texas Chiropractic College with a Doctor of Chiropractic degree. One common estimate is that styrofoam can take up 30 percent of the space in some landfills. The fact that Styrofoam is non-biodegradable adds to the ecological impact. According to The California Department of Conservation, the costs of recycling styrofoam amounts to $3000 per single ton. 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Take your unwanted packaging pellets/peanuts to a local packing and shipping store for reuse. Styrofoam makes up a large fraction of the constituent waste. Once in the landfill, it does not decompose quickly. Please enable JavaScript in your browser for a better user experience. Over 90,000 workers face exposure to the effects of styrene, the material in Styrofoam, each year in industries such as rubber and fiberglass manufacturing companies. As per conservative estimates, hundreds of thousands of tons of waste polystyrene is produced in the Middle East and sent to landfills each year. Use compostable paper or reusable dinnerware. Landfills are filling up at a record rate and Styrofoam is one reason. Over half of the world’s plastic thrown out in 2015 was plastic packaging. This Plastic Film Recycling (PFR) and Collection System blog is created to inform industry of an enhanced film, shrink wrap, plastic bubble wrap, styrofoam collection system that effectively aids your organization in the collection of these bulky waste streams. | Website Design by Granicus - Connecting People and Government, Every ton of paper recycled saves 17 trees, 60,000 gallons of water, 225 kilowatt hours of electricity, 350. pounds of limestone, 275 pounds of sulfur, 9,000 pounds of steam, and 3.3 cubic yards of landfill airspace. No straws, lids, plastic wrap or trash. Mealworms have microgramisms in their gut that can biodegrade Styrofoam. According to Washington University, Styrofoam takes 500 years to decompose; it cannot be recycled, so the Styrofoam cups dumped in landfills are there to stay. We use over 80,000,000,000 aluminum soda cans every year. Back in California, Caltrans reports that 15% of the total litter volume recovered from storm drains is polystyrene. 3 million tons of Styrofoam are produced in the USA annually, 80% of which is destined for the trash. Styrofoam can be destroyed if it is incinerated at extremely high temperatures, creating only a small amount of water and carbon as by products. Easily recycled, paper is good for shipping and product packaging. That’s … Compared to Styrofoam, these two new eco-friendly alternatives help reduce pollution and conserve landfill airspace. Packaging represents about 65% of household trash. Based on different internet resources, every single ton of Styrofoam that we do not use and therefore don't need to produce can save about 12 trees, 1,087 lbs of solid waste, 1,560 kW of energy, 1,196 gal of water, 1,976 lbs of greenhouse gases, 3 yd3 landfill space and 390 gal oil. According to the EPA, Americans trash approximately 25 billion Styrofoam cups and take-out containers every year. Paper products are biodegradable and non-toxic to the environment. According to a 2004 study by the California Integrated Waste Management Board, of the 377,580 tons of polystyrene produced in the state, only 0.8% is recycled. A recycled aluminum can is back on the grocery shelf as a new can in as little as 60 days. This represents an estimated hidden cost equivalent to 1.2 cents per Styrofoam cup produced. High density polyethylene (HDPE) natural bottles were recycled at a rate of 30.3 percent in 2015 and 31.2 percent in 2017. The polystyrene manufacturing process is the 5th largest creator of hazardous waste. Every day, approximately 1,369 tons of Styrofoam is buried into U.S. landfills. Receives around 192,000 tonnes of e-waste annually; Pollutes soil, air and water and causes serious health threats for the 10,000 people making a living from sorting and recycling. Landfills are quickly filling up and Styrofoam is an active contributor occupying more space than other waste. The packaging and food industries  have begun  introducing environmental friendly packaging alternatives to the market, such as air cushions and biodegradable food packaging. The process of making polystyrene pollutes the air and creates large amounts of liquid and solid waste. According to The Way To Go environmental group, Hong Kong landfills disposed of 135 tons of polystyrene waste every day in 2006. All Rights Reserved. May 19, 2020 Log in to Reply.
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