Confused about Polystyrene. Don't feel alone many people do not know what Polystyrene is and what products are and from it.
Below is some information that should help you understand this material and more so help you make the decision of what role if any polystyrene plays in your disposable mix.
Much of the information contained below comes from a number of reports from organizations like Green Seal and environmental groups like them. PFM is providing this Information so that you have all the information you need to make the decision that is right for your restaurant or facility as well as the environment.
RIGID QUICK SERVE FOOD PACKAGING
In 1996, 1.8 million tons of quick serve food packaging (plates, cups, bowls, and other products) were thrown away. It would take, on average, 132,743 garbage trucks to carry this amount of packaging—which, if lined up bumper-to bumper, would stretch from Philadelphia to Chicago.
Each American throws away an average of 100 polystyrene cups each year; and the expected lifetime of each cup is over 500 years. or the average consumer, quick serve food packaging is the paper plate, plastic clamshell or paper wrap in which lunch is carried back to the office. Such packaging can also be found around perishable goods purchased at the grocery store.
This Choose Green Report focuses on the packaging found in food service operations. Green Seal appreciates the complex and controversial nature of disposable food service products, and we favor reusable plates and cups when this option is reasonable and breakage costs are minimal. For this issue, we have examined environmental impacts of paper, plastic and composite disposable quick serve food packaging. There are two major types of food packaging, rigid (such as a hard clamshell for carryout) and non-rigid (such as a paper wrap for a burger). Whenever food types allow, non-rigid packaging should be used to minimize the volume of the waste going to the landfill and other environmental impacts. However, in some cases it is not feasible to use paper wrap for salads or many entrees.
In this report, Green Seal recommends specific rigid disposable quick serve products based on the type of material, recycled content, bleaching, and biodegradability. Because the package weight can be related to the amount of space it takes up in a landfill, for whichever type of packaging you choose, Green Seal recommends using the packaging with the lowest weight suitable for your needs. With those criteria in mind, this Choose Green Report reviews cups, carryout clamshells, plates, trays, platters and bowls made of paperboard, composite materials or polystyrene. Overall, Green Seal finds that non-rigid packaging is preferable when appropriate for the packaging needs. Beyond that, Green Seal recommends using packaging made from renewable resources (such as paperboard or composite materials) that contain either some recycled or unbleached content. The packaging should also be easily biodegradable in the environment and as light weight as possible. While the weight of polystyrene packaging is often lighter than that made of paperboard or composite materials, it is not biodegradable or made from renewable resources.
Paper Packaging
Many types of paperboard are available and currently used in the quick serve restaurant industry. Non-corrugated paperboard is most commonly used for cups and plates. Because this type of paperboard can be ordered in non-bleached forms it can have lower production energy needs than other available food packaging options. Another option is molded fiber tableware which is produced by using pre-consumer paperboard pulp to produce approximately 99% reclaimed content products.
Starch/Limestone Composite Packaging
This new type of packaging is a combination of potato starch, limestone and wood fiber. Forty five percent of the packaging is potato starch used as a binding material. Twenty-five percent is limestone and most of the remaining percentage is wood fiber used for product reinforcement. Both the interior and the exterior surfaces are coated, the interior with biodegradable paraffin wax and the exterior with polyvinyl acetate.
Polystyrene
Polystyrene is the most common plastic polymer used in the food packaging industry because it can be found in two versatile forms for use in both hot and cold food products. Expanded polystyrene is often incorrectly referred to by the Dow Chemical trademark name Styrofoam©. In 1997, 120 million pounds of foam polystyrene hinged containers were used in the US food packaging industry. In fact, of the 28 billion plates, platters and bowls produced in the US 57% are made from foam polystyrene. Because this product's use has grown exponentially, it has become a serious issue for both members of the food packaging industry and the environmental community.
Green Seal's Recommendations for Choosing the Right Food Packaging
Select non-rigid packaging whenever suitable for your service needs.
Non-rigid packaging (e.g., paper or foil wraps) is typically lighter in weight, uses fewer material resources than rigid clamshells or containers with lids and occupies less landfill space.
Use packaging made from a renewable resource.
Wherever possible, avoid quick serve food packaging made from nonrenewable, petroleum-derived plastic. At present, only a fewtypes of plastic (e.g., LDPE, HDPE, and PET) are currently being widely recycled, and the recycled plastic material is rarely used in new food packaging products. Packaging products made from wood fiber or other crop-derived materials can incorporate recycled content and are therefore considered more sustainable.
Buy recycled and/ or unbleached fiber content.
If possible select food packaging that contains recycled content, preferably post-consumer recycled content, and that is unbleached. However, if combinations of these attributes are difficult to find, Green Seal recommends products which have either recycled content or unbleached fiber content. Products which contain recycled content help divert industrial and consumer waste paper into new products and use fewer virgin resources. The bleaching of paper with chlorine and its derivatives is energy-intensive and results in a large volume of wastewater and harmful byproducts. Most unbleached products contain 100% virgin fibers. It may not be possible to find a product with recycled content that is also unbleached, but try to look for one or both attributes. Keep in mind that a brown paper coffee cup works just as well as a bleached white one!
Pick products that are easily biodegradable in the environment.
While recent studies have shown that most items do not degrade quickly in the relatively air-less and moisture less environment of a modern sanitary landfill, the fate of food packaging is not always straightforward. In a cafeteria or food court setting, most used food packaging usually ends up in a waste receptacle. However, land based litter contains 38% plastic and 40% paper, while marine litter contains 61% plastic and 11% paper, and much of this debris is packaging waste. Plastic packaging waste in the environment poses a threat to many types of wildlife and marine animals. The animals are often attracted to the food residue on the packaging or in the case of marine animals, mistake the floating plastic packaging for food. For this reason, food packaging that is easily biodegradable in the environment can reduce the negative impacts of inappropriate disposal.
Use the minimum weight within food packaging type.
Whether paper or composite food packaging is selected, choose the lightest weight product that will meet your performance needs. Lighter weight usually means fewer materials and less impact.