San Francisco's Polystyrene Foam Ban Waste Reduction Law goes into effect January 1, prohibiting the sale and distribution of polystyrene foam-commonly known as Styrofoam-products.
Styrofoam is one of the most commonly found pollutants on beaches and waterways. It doesn’t biodegrade completely. Instead, it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, threatening both wildlife and humans. iStock.com/Tamas-V
By Bill Picture
Published: November, 2016
San Francisco’s Polystyrene Foam Ban Waste Reduction Law goes into effect January 1, prohibiting the sale and distribution of polystyrene foam—commonly known as Styrofoam—products. The law expands upon a 2006 ordinance that requires food service establishments in San Francisco to use recyclable and/or compostable containers for carryout and delivery orders, as well as leftovers.
Nearly 100 percent of restaurants now comply with the 2006 ordinance, and the SF Department of the Environment (SF Environment) estimates that hundreds of millions of Styrofoam to-go containers have already been eliminated from the waste stream. The new law targets remaining commercial and/or household uses of Styrofoam products, including packing materials, food packaging such as egg cartons and food trays, “disposable” ice chests, beach toys and dock floats, requiring these items be pulled from shelves.
“Styrofoam is nasty stuff,” said Jack Macy, senior commercial zero waste coordinator at SF Environment. “It doesn’t biodegrade completely. Instead, it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, threatening both wildlife and humans.”
Styrofoam is one of the most commonly found pollutants on beaches and waterways, where the small pieces to which Macy refers are often mistaken for food by birds, fish and other marine life. Unlike other plastics, the main chemical component of Styrofoam is metabolized after swallowing, contaminating the body of the animal that ingests it. The contamination then works its way up the food chain as smaller animals are consumed by larger animals, some of which eventually end up on the dinner plates of humans.
Earlier this year, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the World Economic Forum and McKinsey & Company warned that by 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans by weight than fish. “And a large portion of that plastic will be Styrofoam,” Macy said.
Flexing consumer muscle
So given how bad Styrofoam is for the environment, why is it still so widely used? The answer is, bad habits are hard to break.
“Awareness is growing, but polysterene products are cheap and they serve their purpose,” Macy said. “For businesses and individuals that still use these products, it boils down to a behavioral change. And we all know that’s the toughest kind of change to make.”
The key, according to Macy, is making it easy for these Styrofoam diehards to swap out polystyrene with a material that works and won’t hurt their bottom line.
“That’s what we did with the restaurants in 2006,” Macy said. “We showed them they didn’t need to use Styrofoam anymore, so they stopped buying it.”
As with the to-go containers, there are plenty of eco-friendly alternatives out there. Pulp trays can effectively replace the Styrofoam ones used for years to package eggs, meat and fish. There’s even a biodegradable packing peanut available on the market. “It’s made out of starch and performance-wise, it’s actually superior to the polystyrene foam loose-fill peanut.” Macy said. “It provides a better cushion, it’s about the same price and it dissolves in water.”
Where Macy admits that the city has no control is with products packaged elsewhere for sale in San Francisco. If you’ve bought an appliance lately from a big-box retailer, you likely ended up with enough Styrofoam packing materials to fill your black bin.
“That’s where we as consumers have an opportunity to flex our muscle—through our purchasing habits,” Macy said. “We have the ability to influence companies, even big ones, to change their habits so that their business practices align with our values.”
Macy said that consumer support will be essential for tackling one of the next items on SF Environment’s to-do list—plastic films. San Francisco has already banned plastic shopping bags, but polyethylene film is still used to package everything from cereal and chips at the supermarket to screws at the hardware store. “It’s everywhere,” he said. “And unlike other materials, there seems to be more and more of it being used every year.”
While a small percentage of polyethylene film can in theory be recycled and/or reused, Macy says it’s not enough to counter the volume of this material entering the waste stream. “We need to think beyond recycling, and instead pressure companies to reduce packaging. Straws are another thing. We throw them away, but nothing is every truly disposable. Any single-use item or item intended to be thrown away after it’s used needs to be rethought. Again, it’s changing behavior, but we have to do it.”
