12-13-21 Handout - N. de Venoge 12 - 13- ZNa,1dd - RR
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Expanded Polystyrene (EPS,
a.k.a. StyrofoamTM) Bans The manufacture of polystyrene 4101110
creates large amounts of
greenhouse gases,as well as
liquid and solid waste.
Many laws at the local and state level have banned various products
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made from expanded polystyrene(EPS)foam,and recently many cities ' op
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and towns have started to ban certain types of rigid polystyrene as well. m BE Q]
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Don't Call It StyrofoamTM! on
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Styrofoam'is a registered trademark83 of DuPont(formerly Dow m DDB m
Chemical Company)84 used for building insulation materials made
..._------------
from"extruded polystyrene"(XPS).Foodware(cups,plates,trays, I r \ 1
etc.),which are made from EPS,is often mistakenly referred to as
the brand name Styrofoam".85 Dow has spent a great deal of money
keeping tabs on the high-profile misuses of the term and sending EPS products are composed
cease-and-desist letters. Keep this in mind when advocating for bans of about 95%air and are easily
blown out of trash cans into
of EPS foodware and consider simply calling it foam foodware. the environment.
Environmental Impacts Of Polystyrene IV
EPS foam foodware is very inexpensive to manufacture and low-cost
for restaurants,but can wreak havoc on the marine environment.It is
lightweight,floats,and does not biodegrade in our lifetimes.
Impacts of Polystyrene Generally 41411‘ _•Marine mammals can easily mistake polystyrene for food or oQ�
nesting materials.86 If polystyrene microparticles are ingested Qp�
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by animals(or humans),the sequestered chemicals such as Marine animals often o 4
PCBs,DDT,pesticides,and flame retardants might be absorbed mistake polystyrene
for food.
into the animal's system and taken up the food chain."
•The manufacture of polystyrene is energy intensive and uses " p
petroleum,creating large amounts of greenhouse gases,as
well as liquid and solid waste.Consequently,the environmental
production costs of polystyrene have been ranked the second o)1
worst in the USA by the California Integrated Waste --- _ -
Management Board.85
Impacts of EPS Specifically
•EPS products are composed of about 95%air and are easily
blown out of trash cans and other containers even when When ingested,polystyrene
disposed of properly 89 releases harmful chemicals into
the animal's system which also be
•EPS is pervasive in the marine environment.When released taken up the food chain.
into the environment,intentionally or accidentally,it is carried
from streets and through storm drains out to the ocean." 7
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•EPS breaks up into smaller and smaller pieces.As it breaks down . \
into smaller pieces,it gets harder and more expensive to clean
uQ.91 it clogs storm drains,culverts,and catch basins leading
to increased time and expense to cities that is passed down I
to ratepayers.
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Is EPS Foodware Recyclable? Basically, No. ' -
The biggest pushback on most proposed foam foodware laws
is that EPS is recyclable.Polystyrene is plastic resin number
six,which can either be rigid(a fork or a clear clamshell),or
expanded(a foam coffee cup).Polystyrene is low-value plastic
that has little or no value on the recycling market,and EPS has
even less value.While EPS is technically recyclable,in practice, G�
EPS foodware is rarely recycled and instead is sent to landfills, •
as a result of very low residual economic value to recyclers
and food residue contamination of EPS foodware recycling
feed stock.
Dart Container Corporation(Dart),the biggest foam foodware
manufacturer in the U.S.,has put considerable time and
funding into the argument that EPS is recyclable.The American
Chemistry Council spent 5824,500 on the NYC Restaurant ♦�
Action Alliance,which rallied against NYC's foam foodware
ban and later filed a lawsuit against NYC's foam foodware
ban,claiming that the material should not be banned because xr
it's recyclable.""New York City's Dept of Sanitation(DSNY)
issued a Determination on the Recyclability of Food-Service
Foam("Determination")that EPS foodware is not recyclable, 4 '*
which the judge upheld and NYC won the lawsuit.9°The 44-page
Determination is the most comprehensive analysis to date of xy',
exactly why EPS foam foodware isn't recyclable.
For example,the Determination features a section detailing
research into the eight biggest jurisdictions in the U S.and
Canada that collected EPS in their recycling programs,and
concluded that none of the jurisdictions were recycling EPS
foodware.9`Many of the examples were pilot programs,
sometimes where Dart supplied the city with a densifter—
since EPS is made up mostly of air bubbles—to condense
the EPS to a weight to volume ratio that's less expensive to
ship w Even these subsidized pilot programs,including an
Los Angeles County Program densified blocks of EPS
foodware ultimately were disposed of in a landfill because
no one was willing to buy it.9 The DSNY concluded that all EPS foodware is
eight jurisdictions regret having designated EPS as recyclable
due to the costs they currently face trying to process EPS, rarely recycled as
the complete lack of markets for EPS foam in particular,
and the problems municipal recovery facilities face sorting a result of very low
EPS foam.98
residual economic
value to recyclers
and food residue
contamination.
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Public Health Concerns
Relating To Polystyrene
Polystyrene can threaten public health with chemicals and Chronic(long-term)exposure to
styrene in humans results in effects
additives that can leach from foodware into the food and on the central nervous system.
beverages they contain polystyrene.
For Example:
•According to the U.S. Health and Human Services National
Toxicology Program,the styrene monomer(the building
block for polystyrene)is reasonably anticipated to be a
human carcinogen.99 Heaoache
•Polystyrene food containers can leach small amounts of
the toxin styrene when they come into contact with warm 161
food or drink,alcohol,oils,and acidic foods causing human )---------!,,
Fatigue Weakness \
contamination and thereby pose a human health risk.'° 7
•Life long.low-dose exposure to materials containing (.7 ,' \,
FCCs may lead to chronic diseases.1°'The US National �.
' I)
Library of Medicine states that chronic(long-term) Hearing Loss J Depression
exposure to styrene in humans results in effects on the /
central nervous system(CNS),such as headache,
Yfatigue,
weakness,depression,CNS dysfunction,hearing loss,and 1\
peripheral neuropathy 102 j
Responses To Arguments Against EPS Ban
r w - You may encounter opponents making various arguments against
banning polystyrene.One argument is that banning styrofoam
,. will put small restaurants out of business,as products made from
a • alternative materials may cost more than EPS foodware.There are
plenty of better alternatives to EPS foodware and although they may
-s be slightly more expensive,it's usually a matter of a few cents.'°'
_ Furthermore,reusable options will ultimately save businesses
' ��.,40.__ money. Similar bills have been successfully implemented in 100+
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other local municipalities across the country. In San Francisco,for
' 1 example,4,000 restaurants(both large and small)complied with the
tx-,-,P--• •-• -t` local EPS ban and not one applied for the hardship exemption.104
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,�ti► r • - s • Another argument is that EPS makes up a minimal amount of
/ landfill waste.The truth is that EPS is composed of roughly 95%air,
so looking at tonnage the impacts might seem minimal.However,
" when looking at beach cleanup data,EPS is consistently in the top
ar ten items collected during a beach cleanup.'"Also,there is still no
' q '' conclusive evidence on how long it takes EPS to fully degrade,and it
may take hundreds of years.126
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Products Addressed By Polystyrene Ordinances Another trend
Some recent polystyrene bans often regulate EPS products such
as packing materials,coolers and ice chests,and pool or beach in EPS bans is
toys,as adopted in San Francisco.CA and other communities.''
Some laws also regulate certain rigid polystyrene foodware. moving beyond
The City of Manhattan Beach.CA is a standout example of a foodware.
polystyrene law,which is the result of six iterations of polystyrene
ordinances adopted by city council.10e We refer to the Manhattan
Beach law throughout the polystyrene section.
Foodware
The most common product addressed by EPS bans is on foodware
(cups,plates,trays,etc.)provided by restaurants.EPS is generally
not recyclable and EPS foodware is often contaminated with Egg Cartons And Meat Trays
food as well,making it even more difficult to recycle.EPS used There has been some concern regarding whether replacements
in foodware also has potential health concerns since it directly are sufficiently available for EPS meat and fish trays,and that
touches food.Other cities that have banned EPS include San Diego, replacements might have sharp edges.These items are often
Miami Beach Seattle and Washington.DC.10S 10"'Manhattan exempted citing health and safety reasons. Meat trays made
Beach takes the ban on polystyrene foodware a step further by from compostable plant fiber or recyclable PET which have
banning all polystyrene,including EPS and rigid polystyrene."` rounded edges that do not tear stretch film wrapping,are widely
available.' '""Manhattan Beach covers"meat and fish trays,
Manhattan Beach is also a good example since it covers retail produce trays or egg cartons made,in whole or in part,from
stores as well as restaurants.According to the law,food and polystyrene,either as separate items or as part of the sale of
beverage providers may only distribute single-use foodware with meat,fish,poultry,vegetables,fruit,or eggs sold to consumers"
a resin code of"No.6"or"PS"and must maintain documentation
about the foodware's composition. Coolers
Coolers made from EPS have been banned by several local
jurisdictions.These single-use coolers are lightweight and
inexpensive,and designed to be used once.Crumbly remains
of smashed coolers are often left at beaches.Banning beach-
` . �. • • coolers is a way to reduce a significant amount of EPS from being
v«. _ •
deposited directly on the beach.Folly Beach.South Carolina
- - - was the first city in the state to ban beach coolers among other
products that consist of EPS on the beach."`However,be
•
aware that when proposing a ban on foam coolers,there may
• _ be backlash from the fishing community during the negotiation
•
process for these types of laws.
Non-Foodware EPS
11 ' -. #, Another trend in EPS bans is moving beyond foodware;some laws.4 -" '
L. •� include packing peanuts,non peanut EPS packing material,EPS
craft supplies,pool or beach toys,and non-encapsulated docks
and buoys(dock floats,mooring buoys,anchor or navigation
its markers).San Francisco.CA has one of the most comprehensive
bans in the nation and include the sale of non-recyclable,non-
» compostable polystyrene food service ware,egg cartons,meat
trays,and packing materials,as well as coolers,pool or beach
toys,and floats or buoys that are not encapsulated in a more
durable material.1'
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