3 million tons of plastic foam are produced each year in the U.S. Of these 3 million tons, 2.3 million tons end up in the landfill, where it could take 500 years to break down! Instead, choose alternatives to plastic foam, and better your health as well as the environment. Learn more about the truth about Styrofoam at http://www.wheelsforwishes.org/truth-about-styrofoam/.

1. The Truth About
StyrofoamIt might keep your coffee hot without burning your hand, but plastic foam – more commonly known
as Styrofoam -- is one of the most harmful materials around when it comes to the environment. This
petroleum-based plastic has gained a lot of negative attention in recent years, prompting bans in
many cities such as New York City and Washington D.C.
Did You Know?
The term Styrofoam is actually
the trade name of polystyrene
foam created by the Dow
Chemical Company.1 What
nearly everyone calls
“Styrofoam” is actually not
Styrofoam at all!
Use & Disposal
Plastic Foam Production
Plastic foam coffee cups
alone are thrown away each year .2
25billion
Human Health Impact
of plastic foam are
produced each year in
the U.S.23million tons
That’s enough cups to
circle the earth 436 times!2
Plastic foam is
made from
nonrenewable
crude oil.
5th
The manufacturing process of
polystyrene (used in plastic foam)
was rated as the
largest source of hazardous
waste by a 1986 EPA report.1
680pounds
of greenhouse gas is emitted
to produce 10,000 plastic foam
cups.3
of the plastic foam
produced each year end up
in the landfill.2
2.3million tons
What About Recycling?
Alternatives to Plastic Foam
Cities Taking Action
It takes at least
for plastic foam
to break down.
In The Landfill
In The Ocean
500years
However, plastic foam never truly biodegrades and could be
around for more than 1,000,000 years.5
Plastic foam can easily blow from
disposal sites and travel through
storm drains and gutters to reach
the ocean. of all sea turtles have been found
to have ingested plastic.8
A plastic foam cup you
use today will be
around until at least
the year 2515!
50%
80%
of marine trash originates
from urban runoff, littering
and landfills.7
Plastic has been confirmed in the
stomachs of
out of6 7species
of sea turtles.8
Plastic can be lethal to marine animals, causing blockages
and tears in the digestive system, or even releasing toxins.8
While the technology to recycle plastic
foam exists, few recycling facilities have
the equipment.
of all plastic foam is
currently recycled.4
1%
less than
Is a known carcinogen and is a threat to
human health and reproductive systems.
It can leach from the container into food
when the container is heated.1
Benzene Styrene
More than 90,000 workers face exposure to the
effects of styrene, a material in plastic foam. Styrene
is a suspected carcinogen, and exposure can cause
irritation of the skin, eyes and respiratory tract and
gastrointestinal problems.1
Plastic foam contains toxins such as benzene and styrene which can be harmful to human health,
especially during manufacturing and when the foam is heated.
This may also be concerning for people who drink tea or
coffee in a plastic foam cup. In a 1986 EPA study, styrene was detected in the fat tissue of every
man, woman, and child tested.9
If cities as large as NYC and D.C.
can make it work, then so can
smaller places! More cities get on
board with plastic foam bans each
day due to community interest.
Many cities such as Minneapolis,
New York City, Portland, Seattle,
San Francisco, and more have
enacted a full or partial ban on
plastic foam in public facilities. 10
More recently, Washington D.C.
passed the Sustainable DC
Omnibus Act of 2014 which
includes a ban on plastic foam in
restaurants and businesses.10
Choosing alternatives over plastic foam whenever possible makes a huge difference over time!
Look for cups made from
biodegradable foam or
plant-based plastics, or
carry your own stainless
steel or ceramic mug.
Choose biodegradable
packing peanuts made
from corn starch.
Pick disposable
plates made from
plant-based
materials.
Choose eggs in a
paperboard carton
and get fresh cuts of
meat rather than ones
packed on foam trays.
1. http://www.earthresource.org/campaigns/capp/capp-styrofoam.html
2. http://www.3g1v.com/about.html
3. https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2014/04/02/why-paper-cups-just-aren-
greener/W3TIBJ9dff8INlumPQvHSI/story.html
4. http://inthesetimes.com/article/17069/foam_wasnt_built_in_a_day
5. http://www.scgh.com/featured/pop-goes-the-polystyrene/
6. http://www.starchtech.com/biodegradable-packing-peanuts
7. http://www.seeturtles.org/ocean-plastic
8. http://www.globalanimal.org/2013/09/26/sea-turtle-populations-plummet-due-to-
plastic-pollution/
9. http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic967858.files/PolystyreneFactSheets.pdf
10. http://groundswell.org/map-which-cities-have-banned-plastic-foam/
Sources
Plastic foam is used for food containers, some
egg cartons, craft materials, home insulation,
product packaging and more.
On the go When shipping For parties At home
Look for earth-
friendly insulation
and avoid foam craft
supplies such as
wreath forms.
At the grocery store
eggs
wheelsforwishes.org/truth-about-styrofoam