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Don’t you just love how Styrofoam keeps things cold? I know I love Styrofoam cups I get from fast food restaurants that keep my drink cold all day on a hot day. There are so many good things about Styrofoam. I never wanted to know any details about Styrofoam because it had become a widely used item in my life. {{more: continue … }}?Styrofoam – love it or leave it????However, the more I learn about the effects of Styrofoam on the environment and my health the more it makes me think those little conveniences provided to me by Styrofoam are not worth it.?
My first eye opener about Styrofoam was at a Christmas party when someone opened their gift and 80% of the box was full of Styrofoam peanuts. One of the attendees said something much like “Great! Let’s see how much this gift can kill the planet!” I thought to myself “Weirdo! They must be from California. It’s not like we plan to throw our trash out in the street, it will go in the dumpster.” But did I really think about what that person was saying, and did I really think my thoughts were very logical? It seemed that once I heard that statement I started noticing more and more complaints about the harmful effects of Styrofoam.
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So, what does this have to do with Kennedale?
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Let me explain:
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Styrofoam is made from polystyrene, which is a petroleum-based plastic. Companies love Styrofoam because it is very light weight and has good insulation properties. However, Styrofoam is non-biodegradable and appears to last forever. When I first learned about this, I thought back to my reasoning at the Christmas party and how all those peanuts will be sitting in a landfill for eternity. If everyone on Christmas day received a package full of peanuts and threw them in the dump, how many dumps full of peanuts will be in existence when my great grandchildren come to this earth? You may say “But we can recycle Styrofoam!” No so fast. The market for recycled Styrofoam is diminishing. Many recycling companies will no longer accept Styrofoam. Therefore, it is back to the dump for eternity! I don’t even want to go into the toxic waste associated with the manufacturing of Styrofoam. That is another story.
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?What can we do??
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So, what can we do as conscientious Kennedalians? The best thing we can do is find biodegradable or reusable alternatives to Styrofoam. Today’s trend is compostable containers. Let’s get on board Kennedale!
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Many cities in the US have banned Styrofoam from food service establishments, stores and manufacturers. I know many of us have ridiculed other cities for banning certain products, but have we really sat back and thought about why and what positive outcome will come from this ban? Many of us that are ridiculing also call ourselves one of two things; old fashioned or young and trendy. Well, the old-fashioned way of life did not exist with Styrofoam and the new trend is to stay away from materials that harm our earth. So, what do you say?
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If you want to see changes in your community, it starts with you. Set the trend by showing others you will not support the use of Styrofoam. Send a letter to the city council asking for a ban on Styrofoam. Send a letter to your state representative requesting a ban on polystyrene products. And always look for products manufactured from renewable resources, contain biodegradable materials, are easily recycled or can be reused repeatedly.?About the article: The author, Rachel Dahms-Rogers, is a former Keep Kennedale Beautiful Commission member who has been invited by the Commission to write a series of articles related to ways of helping our enviroment locally.?
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