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t,LLAN WAI ER ACTION CALIFORNIA Facts about Styrofoam Litter (Expanded Polystyrene Foam) "Polystyrene Foam" in the Marine Environment • Expanded polystyrene foam (EPS), (commonly known as Styrofoam e/ is pervasive in the marine environment. Like most plastics, polystyrene is lightweight and floats. Wind carries it through storm drains out to the ocean.' • Exposure to sunlight and wind helps break EPS trash into smaller and smaller pieces. • Marine animals easily mistake polystyrene for food. • The composition of conventional petroleum -based plastics as durable polymers means they will never disappear in the environment.' • Roughly 80 percent of marine debris originates from land -based sources. Plastics comprise 90 percent of floating marine debris. • EPS is the second most abundant form of beach debris in California. • Styrene measured in sand and coastal waters off Japan comes in part from decomposition of polystyrene (PS) litter, which comprises 85% of beach debris measured in Japan. Local jurisdictions spend millions cleaning litter' • Caltrans spends approximately $60 million a year to remove litter and debris from roadsides and highways. • The County of Los Angeles (L.A.) spends $18 million annually on litter cleanup and education. • Some coastal communities spend considerable funds on beach cleaning. For example, L.A. County collects over 4,000 tons of trash annually on its beaches. In 1994, it cost the County over $4 million to clean 31 miles of beaches. • Since 2001, Southern California cities have spent in excess of $1.7 billion cleaning trash out of storm drain systems leading to the L.A. River and Ballona Creek in order to comply with stormwater regulations. PS Litter — Measureable Reductions from PS Foodware Ban • One year after implementation of the San Francisco ordinance that prohibits the use of EPS foodware, San Francisco's litter audit showed a 36% decrease in EPS litter • Unfortunately, most jurisdictions do not conduct assessments of how much litter is reduced as a result of bans implemented. PS Food Packaging is Not Recyclable • According to the plastics industry (American Chemistry Council), PS food packaging is typically not clean enough to be recycled and it is economically not realistic to recycle it, • EPS has a very low recycling rate. According to a 2004 study by the California Integrated Waste Management Board, of the 377,580 tons of polystyrene produced in the state, only 0.8% is recycled. Of that, only 0.2% (310 tons) of polystyrene food service packaging is recycled. Alternatives to Polystyrene for Food Packaging • Reusable products are always preferable to disposable ones. They have less environmental impact and in the long run cost consumers and retailers less money. • Better disposable alternatives include recycled paper and in communities where organic waste is collected for composting, compostable / biodegradable plastics. • Compostable and biodegradable plastic does not break down in the marine environment. • Compostable plastics are designed to degrade only in compost. Therefore, compostable plastic packaging should only be used in jurisdictions that collect organic waste curbside for composting. These products must meet ASTM.standards and should be labeled as compostable to avoid contamination of materials collected for recycling. Local Jurisdictions Responding with Prohibitions on PS Foodware • Over 33 cities and counties in Califomia have banned polystyrene food packaging. • In the City of Santa Monica, for example, local businesses have successfully switched to more sustainable alternatives." • The City of San Francisco has had only one complaint of economic hardship from any of the 4,000 businesses prohibited from using EPS- that company had a backlog of PS inventory and was given more time to come into compliance. 1