I became aware of the detrimental effects of Styrofoam also known as Polystyrene (a Petroleum based plastic made from the Styrene monomer) when I was residing in the hospital for two and a half months. How i ended up there... well... I was learning how to frame houses as I have always wanted to build homes for those in need around the world. When a job opportunity came up I thought it would be cool to learn for future reference. Long story short I fell 13ft through a hole. On a more positive note I had a lot of time to reevaluate my life and steer it in a different direction. While being in the hospital I came to realize how much Styrofoam cups they were going through daily, patients had an unlimited access, also staff distributed water a couple times a day in these cups. Many of the patients used styrofoam cups for tea or hot water and lemon. When come into contact with fatty-acidic foods or heat the chemicals leach out into the food or liquid a lot quicker and into our systems. Styrofoam causes neurotoxin affects and is a human carcinogen. A 1988 survey conducted by the Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education found styrene in human fat tissue. I strongly feel hospitals should not contain such hazardous products. They are here to provide health care yet they provide products that harm us further.
It is the 5th Largest creator of hazardous waste and 57 chemical by-product are released during the manufacturing process polluting the land, water, air and communities surrounding. It is the 2nd most abundant form of beach debris and 25% of marine life face extinction. When an animal mistakens this product for food it blocks their digestive track leading to starvation and furthermore death. We also consume these animals transferring these chemicals into our system.
Styrofoam is detrimental to the planet as a whole and does not fully decompose. It takes 500 years to break down to its smallest point and pollutes everything along the way from land, air, animals, water aswell humans.
My goal is to ban styrofoam across Ontario aswell globally. As we eliminate Styrofoam we are saving millions on fossil fuels, preventing unnecessary pollution of synthetic chemicals, saving our health and the life of the animals. Economically we are saving billions of dollars on landfill space as styrofoam takes up 25-30% of landfills. According to the Barrie Examiner the city of Barrie was approved for a $4.46 million project to expand the landfill located West of Ferndale Drive North. Imagine how much money worldwide could be saved from projects such as this one.
Hundreds of cities like New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Turner Valley have already made this happen. One year after San Francisco prohibited the use of Styrofoam foodware a litter audit showed a decrease of 36% in styrofoam litter. Let's continue the movement toward the greater good. Let's help to create a waste free environment by eliminating products such as Styrofoam!
