Staying out of the ring
Using white foam cups and containers is just as wrong as picking your nose in front of your in-laws. I never use them, and I have a hard time watching other people use them.
Polystyrene food containers, commonly known as Styrofoam containers, are hazardous to the environment and the consumer’s health, according to the National Geographic Green Guide.
I’m sad to realize almost all food places at OSU use foam cups and containers. It makes me more sad to see students using them once and throwing them away creating piles and piles of polystyrene waste on campus.
The U.S. polystyrene waste totals about 1,369 tons per day, and it takes up 25 percent to 30 percent of the U.S. landfill space, according to a study by student Andrea Kremer for the Urban Studies Program of San Francisco State University
The main problem with foam containers is that they take more than 500 years to degrade. Therefore, the more they’re consumed, the longer their toxic components, such as benzene — a chemical also found in cigarette smoke — and styrene, will stay in the environment.
Short-term and low-level exposure to benzene and styrene can cause dizziness, headaches and throat and eye irritation, according to Kremer’s study. Exposure on higher levels and longer terms can cause brain damage and cancer.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer considers styrene a possible human carcinogen. This doesn’t mean, however, that people will get serious illnesses by using foam cups once or twice a week. The intention of this column is not to scare the university community but to create awareness on this matter.
Fortunately, environmental organizations have come up with a series of solutions that can stop the so-called “white pollution.” Recycling polystyrene containers isn’t easy or cheap, but programs like Foam from Home sponsored by International Foam Solutions, Inc. (http://www.internationalfoamsolutions.com), recycles Styrofoam products from some schools and businesses into an eco-friendly gel.
Food services use white foam containers because they are cheap, practical and they keep food and beverages warm or cold. Companies across the U.S. have created alternative recyclable materials, like Eco-foam, that have the same advantages than white foam products. Eco-cycle Web site (http://www.ecocycle.org/index.cfm) offers a list of foam-alternative materials and their manufacturers’ Web sites. The cheapest and easiest solution is using ceramic or non-disposable plastic plates and cups instead.
As a college student — always busy and on the run — it’s hard to be environmentally conscious, but we can’t be indifferent to irreversible consequences the world is facing due to decades of irresponsible consuming. Buying hemp bags and organic food is not enough to solve this problem.
To ensure a livable planet for future generations, we have to change the paradigm of our way of life. It’s harder than it sounds, but we can achieve sustainability little by little. I admire OSU’s projects for sustainability and its efforts to be “greener.” I hope polystyrene usage will soon be considered an environmental issue in the university’s agenda.
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