- Styrofoam is actually Dow's trade name for polystyrene.
- There are two problems with polystyrene, involving both production and waste. During production, a blowing agent blows gas into the polystyrene. For years, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were the agents-contributing to the destruction of the Earth's ozone layer. After the Montreal Protocol's ban on CFCs, slightly-more benign HCFCs replaced them. However, Ozone Action's Christopher Ball notes, "HCFCs are better for the ozone layer than CFCs, but they still cause problems." Because of this, HCFCs have also been banned, with their total phasing-out not expected until the year 2030. Carbon dioxide and pentane (a highly flammable chemical that contributes to smog) are also used as blowing agents. On the waste issue, polystyrene products, including cups, don't biodegrade well and, if incinerated, produce toxic ash.
- To combat such problems, recycling programmes are popping up, but not yet everywhere *this is in the US, I presume*
- Drinking from reuseable mugs, however, is an easy way to reduce such waste problems and ease pressures on the ozone layer. If people can't be convinced to change their throw-away habits, try telling them that the mugs can save them money, too.
There you go. I guess, this is something for us to ponder about, ya?
2 comments:
yupp..most of the time..if i could..*i mean*..remember owes to bring my own container to tapau...if rajin la...i heard of this ages ago ..i'm trying to make it a habit to not use styrofoam too...kesian our environment...
hi miranda.. ya bah kan. i try to eat at the kedai rather than tapau, kalau dapatlah. if everyday tapau using the styro. (usually during work time), susah juga ohh.. we just do our best lah to reduce our sampah-sarap this kan.. tapi the trend to use plastic container to tapau is emerging now. better lah, can re-use till rosak (o:
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