Say No to Foam

It is the cheapest, lightest, strongest, and most wasteful packing materials out there. It can look like blocks, peanuts, sheets, and even cups and trays. Polystyrene, also known by its more popular name brand Stryofoam is the world’s favorite packing materials. Polystyrene (PS) is part of our everyday lives and is hard to avoid.

PS is made from oil or natural gas, primarily out of Canada and is not a renewable resource. It is harmful to animals when ingested and never, ever biodegrades in a landfill or in the open air. It is 95% air and takes up room in our garbage bins and landfills costing us extra money on disposal. When burned, PS turns into a toxin known as dioxin is created and thus pollutes the air with a world class “super toxin” associated with birth defects. PS is not recyclable locally, and due to the fiscal restraints associated with transporting a product made of mostly air, it cannot be shipped to Portland for recycling.

So how do we eliminate PS from our lives? It becomes challenging for sure. We must first decide that the negative impacts associated with PS are more important than the convenience it provides. Then we simply avoid it as best we can. Here are a few tips:

• Bring your own coffee cup and offer durables to others.
• Take PS peanuts to your local shipper for reuse.
• By used electronics to avoid the packaging.
• Bring your own take out containers.
• When given a purchasing choice, choose plastic instead. It can be recycled.
• Buy paper goods and compost the waste paper.
• Ask for alternatives when ordering or purchasing.
• Be a conscious consumer.