Facts About Plastic #6

Consumer Impact

• Polystyrene is a polymer of styrene. Styrene is a petroleum by-product and the primary raw material from which polystyrene is made. Styrene, a naturally occurring substance, is present in many foods and beverages, including wheat, beef, strawberries, peanuts, coffee beans and cinnamon.
• Styrofoam is a Dow Chemical Company trademarked form of polystyrene foam insulation. This name is commonly applied to all polystyrene foam products of this type.
• Polystyrene is generally useful for many products, including construction materials (e.g., insulation), packing materials (e.g., packing “peanuts”), crafts and modeling.
• Solid polystyrene is used to make cutlery, yogurt and cottage cheese containers, cups, and video and audio cassette housings. Foamed polystyrene is used to make cups, bowls, plates, trays and protective packaging for shipping fragile items.
• Polystyrene products protect against moisture and maintain strength and shape longer than most other packaging materials, such as paper. These products are lightweight, conducive to reuse and can be molded to parts and products, maximizing their cushioning characteristics.

Environmental Issues

• Polystyrene used for foodservice packaging represents less than one percent by weight and volume of all landfilled materials.
• Generally, the manufacture of polystyrene uses fewer resources, and polystyrene weighs half as much as, coated paperboard products.
• Polystyrene is not easily recycled because it is lightweight, has a low scrap value and is not generally accepted as part of curbside recycling programs. However, recycling polystyrene is an emerging market; Los Angeles, the second largest city in the U.S., has implemented a curbside program for recycling clean polystyrene products.