Today in class we separated our waste materials
into their proper categories for disposal: recycling, composting or discarding
to a landfill. As we were going through the items we ran into a problem with
the material Styrofoam, we were unsure about where to place the particular material
because it does not fit into the recycling categories: paper, plastic, metal,
or glass. So that leaves us with the question of what exactly is Styrofoam, and
where does it belong: the recycling bin, the compost box or the trash?
Upon further research of this mystery material that our packages arrive in, leftover food is contained in, and our large drinks from McDonalds are put in, is actually not called Styrofoam at all. Styrofoam is a word that has been licensed by a company called “Dow Chemical.” Styrofoam is a brand name for the material Polystyrene foam that most commonly is used for home insulation. Polystyrene is a petroleum-based plastic made from the styrene monomer; it is lightweight and mostly composed of air. Polystyrene is a #6 plastic, which means it can be recycled through some curbside programs. It can be recycled into various items such as: insulation, light switch plates, egg cartons, vents, rulers, foam packing, and carry out containers. However, Polystyrene products can be very sturdy and are known to leach chemicals, which are harmful to humans and the environment. When these sturdy products are thrown out and placed into landfills they are known to never totally go away and just break up, and leach chemicals. Due to the difficulty of disposing of this material many recycling companies won't take the material.
So, in conclusion "Styrofoam" can be recycled if your recycler takes recyclables #6 and I also found a lady who uses a small amount of styrofoam for her compost bin for aeration because it is 95 % air. However, mass amounts of the material cannot be used for composting because it will just sit there in whatever form it is in and not do anything. (Her blog is included in the links below)
Personally, I feel like a material that is dangerous to our health and environment when put into landfills and even hard to recycle into other products should stop being produced. There are alternatives to styrofoam products that are readily available such as: paper plates, containers, and packaging. Also, these products can easily and non-harmfully be recycled!
Upon further research of this mystery material that our packages arrive in, leftover food is contained in, and our large drinks from McDonalds are put in, is actually not called Styrofoam at all. Styrofoam is a word that has been licensed by a company called “Dow Chemical.” Styrofoam is a brand name for the material Polystyrene foam that most commonly is used for home insulation. Polystyrene is a petroleum-based plastic made from the styrene monomer; it is lightweight and mostly composed of air. Polystyrene is a #6 plastic, which means it can be recycled through some curbside programs. It can be recycled into various items such as: insulation, light switch plates, egg cartons, vents, rulers, foam packing, and carry out containers. However, Polystyrene products can be very sturdy and are known to leach chemicals, which are harmful to humans and the environment. When these sturdy products are thrown out and placed into landfills they are known to never totally go away and just break up, and leach chemicals. Due to the difficulty of disposing of this material many recycling companies won't take the material.
So, in conclusion "Styrofoam" can be recycled if your recycler takes recyclables #6 and I also found a lady who uses a small amount of styrofoam for her compost bin for aeration because it is 95 % air. However, mass amounts of the material cannot be used for composting because it will just sit there in whatever form it is in and not do anything. (Her blog is included in the links below)
Personally, I feel like a material that is dangerous to our health and environment when put into landfills and even hard to recycle into other products should stop being produced. There are alternatives to styrofoam products that are readily available such as: paper plates, containers, and packaging. Also, these products can easily and non-harmfully be recycled!
(This image shows Polystyrene
insulation for homes)
To learn more for yourself about Styrofoam, and the different numbers for plastics you can visit:
http://www.earthresource.org/campaigns/capp/capp-styrofoam.html
http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/recycling-symbols-plastics-460321
http://green-jeanne.blogspot.com/2008/11/can-you-put-styrofoam-in-compost.html
http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/dlc-me/zoo/zdcmain.html
I found an interesting site that points of the benefits of recycling Styrofoam. It sounds like it may be better if we recycle Styrofoam now, instead of just land filling it, even though it is difficult to store because of its bulk, because this Styrofoam will last for 500 years before it breaks down.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.benefits-of-recycling.com/styrofoamrecycling/
I agree with you. We should use alternatives instead of those styrofoam products and we can do that right now in DePauw. As the staff who came to our class mentioned: we can use the green boxes school offers instead of styrofoam box to carry out food. There is lot we can do to reduce using styrofoam.
ReplyDeleteI thought your article was interesting, especially since Styrofoam recycling was one of the questions brought up in class. Regarding to the topic, I think too that there is a need to start separating this material from the others, starting perhaps by incorporating new containers other than just plastics from 1 through 6. If we as consumers start to separate this material, perhaps recycling companies will start to incorporate ways to ease that polystyrene recycling (plastic number 6) even though the handling is more costly. I have the feeling that this would be more ethical than just allowing Styrofoam to be accumulated in landfills and burned (causing more toxic fumes). http://www.ehow.com/info_8313527_dangers-accidentally-burning-styrofoam.html
ReplyDeleteAlso, this made me think about the toxicity in other types of plastics, when not necessarily are burnt. Not many people are aware that plastics numbered 3, 6, and 7 are actually human cell disruptors, that could cause cancer in the long run and that are widely used. It is something to be aware about, especially in the future of ergonomics, which is the discipline that tackles the interaction between humans and the other elements in the system promoting safety.
http://abunchofgreens.blogspot.com/2008/03/good-plastic-bad-plastic.html
I totally agree with your statement about how these things such as styrofoam and other substances that are hard to be recycled should stop being produced, especially if there are other options that are better for our planet! I found this article extremely helpful and interesting, and am happy I know now what to do about styrofoam!
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the idea that these hard to recycle products should stop being produced to be put into the market. Something that is widely used by the public day in and day out, such as styrofoam, should at least be created to be fully reusable but also have the properties to break down and not be detrimental to the environment. If there are better choices/ alternatives to using styrofoam then we should use them and ban styrofoam all together!
ReplyDeleteThis article compliments research I have done on melamine. Melamine, like styrofoam, is made of materials considered dangerous to human health and the environment. Recycling plants do not want to take these items due to the safety risks to their workers. Since both objects are very tough and take a long time to dissolve, they end up leaching their chemcials- such as fromeldahyde in the case of melamine- into landfills. As a society we should become less reliant on these materials as the disposal process is more costly than the production.
ReplyDelete