Diary 381: Use of Styrofoam

The use of polystyrene food packing is not environmentally friendly.

In some places, the authority impose a ban on the use of polystyrene food packaging.

The traders are quick to come up with alternatives.

One of these product is styrofoam packing.

Styrofoam is a brand name product. Styrofoam is expanded polystyrene plastic, also called EPS. EPS is a petroleum byproduct. It is not biodegradable. Because EPS does not biodegrade and there is a lot of it in use, the issue of recycling is often brought up.

Styrofoam and other EPS products are recyclable, but recycling of these products is not easily done. The recycling process for EPS is time consuming and expensive.

Consumers are encouraged to re-use rather than recycle EPS.

Accordingly, syrofoam packaging that are being sold as biodegradable packaging may affect the health of the environment.

These products are not biogradable.

But, they are sold at biogradable packaging prices.