Life Cycle of Styrofoam

Styrofoam, also called polystyrene, is a nonbiodegradable, lightweight plastic. Over the course of its life cycle, it harms people and the environment. New advances in technology have made alternatives such as biodegradable, corn-based Styrofoam possible.

Components

• Styrofoam is manufactured from benzene (a clear, pleasant-smelling liquid), styrene (an oily liquid) and ethylene (a gas that, at low temperatures, turns into a liquid).

Origins

• Benzene is extracted from coal, styrene is naturally present in many foods and ethylene is present in almost all plants.

Production

• Styrofoam is a hard plastic until it is injected with ethylene, a blowing agent, which fills it with tiny air pockets. Previously, manufacturers used CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) as a blowing agent, which was a major contributor to global warming.

Use

• Styrofoam is a common material, used for food containers, packaging materials and insulation. As people eat food packaged in Styrofoam, styrene can leach into their systems and collect in the fatty tissue.

Disposal

• When people throw away Styrofoam, most of it ends up in landfills, where it makes up more than a quarter of our trash. Only a few companies recycle Styrofoam into new materials. If waste-management plants incinerate Styrofoam to make room for more trash, they release hazardous chemicals into the air.