Issues > Just Ask! > Can you help my son get styrofoam out of his school cafeteria?

Can you help my son get styrofoam out of his school cafeteria?

Lucinda from Louisville, KY asks:

My son would like to convince the head of his school not to use styrofoam in the cafeteria. Do you have any information that he could use to bolster his case?

The Green Guide replies:

Dear Lucinda,

What a gallant pursuit your son has chosen! Please keep us informed on his progress. We do have some information that may help him present his case more effectively, and some strategizing tips for changing practices in his school's cafeteria.

Problem

There are two primary problems posed by using polystyrene plastic foam ("styrofoam") in cafeterias:

1. It contributes to our nation's burgeoning mountains of waste. According to The New York Times (August 20, 2002), the waste volume for all plastics (including polystyrene) is growing very rapidly, from close to nothing in 1960 to about 25 million tons/year in 2000. The recycling rate for all plastics in 1999 was only 9.7%, says the EPA's report, Municipal Solid Waste in the U.S.: 1999 Facts and Figures. Even worse: the recycling rate for polystyrene was zero, it says, although 890 thousand tons of polystyrene plates and cups were thrown away that year.
   
   
2. Polystyrene is made from hazardous chemicals, and may leach traces of these substances out into foods and drinks. Small amounts of styrene, for example, can migrate out of polystyrene. Studies suggest that styrene may act like the hormone estrogen in the body, and therefore might disrupt normal hormone functions and possibly affect reproduction. Styrene is also considered a possible human carcinogen by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer. Although there is not yet enough information to know whether the small amounts from food containers are enough to cause health effects, it's probably wise to avoid unnecessary exposures. Studies have found that styrene tends to migrate more quickly when foods or drinks are hot, high in fat, or contain alcohol.
   
   

Here are two excellent resources for more detailed health information about styrene:

• www.ourstolenfuture.org/NewScience/oncompounds/styrene/2001ohyamaetal.htm
  
  
• www.checnet.org/healthehouse/chemicals/chemicals-detail.asp?Main_ID=286
  
  

Another chemical, nonylphenol, has also been found to leach out of polystyrene plastic, although we don't know whether nonylphenol is in foamed polystyrene (styrofoam). Nonylphenol is another suspected hormone disruptor. More information can be found at www.ourstolenfuture.org.

Also see our Green Guide #88-89, "Shopper's Guide to Plastics and Food."

Changing the Cafeteria

Now that you have some information about the health and environmental problems associated with polystyrene, you can raise this issue and work with your school community to develop alternatives.

Does your school cafeteria have the capacity to wash dishes? If so, you may want to try and institute the use of reusable utensils, plates and mugs. You can phase this in gradually or partially -- starting or trying reusable mugs for beverages, for instance. Health regulations may require that only certified food service professionals handle utensils, which may require your school to hire staff to make sure lunchware is cleaned properly. Your school's head of operations or head of maintenance, or your state Department of Health, should be able to tell you what options for reusable lunchware are permitted by your state's health laws.

If washing utensils is not a possibility, you certainly can consider healthier and more sustainable choices of disposable items. Plastics #1 and #2 and non-PVC clingwrap such as Glad or HandiWrap are recommended in The Green Guide's "Plastics to Avoid." You also can opt for paper products, especially those made from post-consumer recycled paper. Treecycle offers a complete line of food service containers and cups made from unbleached items, some with recycled content. Seventh Generation offers recycled paper plates. You can talk to the person at your school who orders supplies about the paper lunchware options which may exist from your current supplier or other available suppliers. The fibers, coatings and food waste unfortunately will probably restrict the further recycling of paper food containers.

As soon as you have more information about possible options, work with other students, parents, and existing school-community organizations (such as the PTA or parent's association) to generate broader interest in replacing styrofoam at your school.

Once you have a group assembled, meet with your principal to present your data and concerns and to learn where decisions are made about food service options at your school. Your principal can also help you learn what procedures need to be followed to make a change in your cafeteria. Some schools make these decisions independently; for other schools, decisions are made at the district level, or in concert with other schools. You may need to meet with the district official in charge of food service policy; you may need to act before a certain deadline in order to change options for the following school year. You may need to meet with a food service organization that has been contracted to provide meals at your school. Alternatively, you may need to present your plan to your local school board, or at a designated school meeting where decisions about operations are made.

Once you have information about "who" and "how," your group can put together a plan and get an even larger portion of the community to sign a petition supporting your plan. Involve as many interested parties as possible in the development of this plan: your principal, the maintenance staff, food service personnel, teachers, etc. Try to make your plan as detailed as possible: get budget figures about how much is currently spent on styrofoam, and make sure your plan has a budget and options for financing the changes, if they turn out to be more expensive. Your plan may entail new savings as well as new expenses: for example, switching to reusable lunchware items saves on garbage disposal fees.

For inspiration, read about the wonderful changes in feeding schoolchildren taking place in Berkeley, California:

www.oriononline.org/pages/oa/01-3oa/01-3oa_learn.html

 

Postscript: Lucinda's son talked to the lunchware supplier who told him that non-styrofoam cups would cost the same, so they made the switch!