In a move that may help the old Grecian paper cup make a
huge come-back; effective 7/1/2015, NYC has banned single-use styrofoam products! There are is at least one well-known, national coffee chain that must be sitting back on its heels. Hooray!
EPS (expanded polystyrene) is already banned in six cities including: Washington, DC, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Oakland, Portland, Albany, and Seattle. With NYC there are now more than seven large cities that have banned the foam. Businesses large and small now have incentive to find alternative products including: reusabale (wash that cup!), biodegradable, and recyclable.
Why this move? Beyond its suspected health issues, EPS is not recyclable. New York’s Department of Solid Waste collected approximately 28,500 tons of expanded polystyrene in 2014 and estimates that approximately 90 percent of that is from single-use food service products like cups, trays and containers.
EPS is also a major source of neighborhood litter and is hazardous to marine life. EPS foam is a lightweight material that can clog storm drains and can also end up in waterways. EPS containers can break down into smaller pieces, which marine animals often time mistake for food. These smaller pieces can wind up in the floating gyre of non-biodegradable plastic debris that has been found in the Atlantic Ocean – creating a hazard for marine life such as sea turtles and fish.
So why do we use EPS in the first place? Its light so it is easy to transport and carry. It is cheap. And, in our throw away world, it is convenient and easy – just use it, toss it and forget it. Unfortunately the environment can’t forget that easily.
What can you do?
- Use the power of your purse – Stop buying sytrofoam products.
- Use the power of your influence – Encourage your company, school, church, community to stop buying and using styrofoam products.
- Use the power of your voice – Tell your neighbors and friends about EPS and ask them to stop buying and using styrofoam products.
