Alternatives to Styrofoam

By: Rick Crawford

Posted: 11/13/07

How many times do you go out to eat each week? The average American dines in restaurants approximately four times per week and over 200 times per year, according to the National Restaurant Association.

Our fondness for large portions means a significant percentage of these meals end up going home with us. More often than not, our leftovers are packaged in Expanded Polystyrene, the foam material we often mistakenly refer to as "Styrofoam." Styrofoam is actually a registered trademark for insulation materials made by Dow Chemical Company, and Expanded Polystyrene foam (EPS) is the material most commonly used for take-out food packaging. According to a phone poll conducted by the ASOSU Environmental Affairs Task Force last spring, approximately 46 percent of Corvallis restaurants reported using EPS.

Nationally, this practice may be changing. A number of cities across the country have already instituted EPS food packaging bans. These include Oakland, Calif., Freeport, Maine, and Portland, Ore. The ASOSU Environmental and Community Affairs Task Forces are eager to add Corvallis to the list. If the Corvallis City Council were to pass an ordinance banning EPS food packaging, the law would extend to the OSU campus.

Notably, OSU University Housing & Dining Services began phasing out EPS a number of years ago when concerns first arose about its negative environmental impacts. The costs associated with EPS are significant. First, EPS is made from styrene, a liquid hydrocarbon derived from non-renewable petroleum. Once manufactured, EPS is not biodegradable. Foam products take up large volumes of space and subsequently clog landfills. A study by the California Department of Transportation found that EPS comprised 15 percent of the litter collected from storm drains. When pieces of non-biodegradable EPS are ingested by animals, they can cause serious health problems and even death. Although EPS bears the recycling triangle, the market for recycling it is small and dwindling. No company in this area has the facilities to recycle EPS. Furthermore, EPS cannot be recycled in the presence of food contamination - rendering EPS food packaging virtually non-recyclable.

So what are the alternatives? Traditional EPS can be replaced with paper products. Bioplastics, which are derived from plant oils and starches and look just like their petroleum counterparts, are another option. Bagasse is the biomass that remains after the extraction of juice from sugarcane, and it insulates much like traditional EPS. Unlike EPS, however, these alternatives are biodegradable materials.

Of course, there is a reason why EPS is so prevalent: its environmental costs are high, but the economic ones are low. Predictably, a number of the more environmentally friendly alternatives are slightly more expensive than EPS, although this varies on a case-by-case basis. Wire-handled cardboard boxes, for example, are often comparable or less expensive than EPS packaging. Paper packaging and bagasse tend to be only slightly higher in cost. Bioplastics usually represent the greatest cost differential.

Economics aside, are we ready for such a transition? The city of Corvallis has already demonstrated a clear commitment to principles of sustainability. In 2004, the City Council adopted a Sustainability Policy to reduce the ecological footprint of the community. The Council's 2020 Vision Statement includes a clause on the importance of environmentally sound industries and business practices in Corvallis. The Corvallis Sustainability Coalition is a network of local environmental organizations working together to accelerate these goals. The climate here is shifting and environmental concerns are gaining ground in the public sphere. ASOSU believes that Corvallis can and should take a leadership role in the sustainability movement.

And if we do it? A ban may not be a cure-all, but it is a step in the right direction. We want to get people thinking about the far-reaching consequences of the simple decisions we make everyday. We want people to consider the lives of the products they are buying - what they are made from, the energy that goes into their production and what happens to them after the garbage truck hauls them away. It is important to recognize that biodegradable alternatives are more favorable than EPS, but bringing Tupperware from home is even better. Bring a canvas bag to the grocery store instead of using paper or plastic. Invest in a stainless steel coffee mug instead of throwing away a cup every single day. The most obvious goal of a ban is to reduce the ecological footprint of a community. The most far-reaching result, however, may be planting a new way of thinking in the public conscious.

At 7 p.m. on Nov. 19, the ASOSU Environmental and Community Affairs Task Forces will go before the Corvallis City Council with its proposition to ban EPS food packaging in the city. The council meets in the fire station downtown, at 400 N.W. Harrison. ASOSU encourages any student with an opinion on this matter to consider attending the meeting. We want to hear from you!