We request that your business eliminate polystyrene and other petroleum-based food service ware from your facility, and seek alternatives that are recyclable, reusable, and/or compostable or biodegradable.
We the undersigned, the people who work and live in Downtown Vancouver and its surrounding areas, who visit your restaurant(s) frequently, understand the harm(s) of foam and solid polystyrene food service ware to both human health and the environment. Most foam %u201Cto-go%u201D containers are made of polystyrene, which is a petroleum-based plastic polymer. In addition, paper %u201Cto-go%u201D cups often use a petroleum-based plastic coating to make them waterproof. Polystyrene takes an unnecessary toll on our environment. Other materials that are recyclable and/or biodegradable to a greater degree can readily replace these materials.
· Polystyrene items are a common environmental pollutant that is non-biodegradable.
· Polystyrene is a notorious pollutant that breaks down into smaller and smaller non-biodegradable pieces that are then ingested by marine life and other wildlife thus harming or killing them.
· Polystyrene has been proven by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to have serious negative impacts on human health, wildlife, the aquatic environment, and the economy.
· Styrene is a known hazardous substance that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggests may penetrate food and beverages ingested by humans.
· Styrene is a suspected carcinogen and neurotoxin which potentially threatens human health.
We request that your business eliminate polystyrene and other petroleum-based food service ware from your facility, and seek alternatives that are recyclable, reusable, and/or compostable or biodegradable.
Thank you for taking the time to consider this issue,
