What Happens When Styrofoam Gets Thrown Away?
Styrofoam, or polystyrene, is a plastic product that is used in many different applications around the world. When Styrofoam is no longer needed, it is thrown away. However, some people may be unaware of what happens to Styrofoam when it is disposed of. Styrofoam is rarely recycled, and in fact cannot be completely recycled at all. Most Styrofoam products build up in landfills, causing various problems. Does this Spark an idea?
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Properties
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Styrofoam is a brand name for the material polystyrene. Polystyrene is a material that was first made and branded as Styrofoam in 1937 by the Dow Chemical Corporation. Styrofoam is a lightweight, waterproof material made of a mixture of erethylene and benzene plastics formed from petroleum and mixed with the chemical styrene. Since its widespread use in the 1940s and onward, Styrofoam has had uses in many applications including insulation, boating supplies, cups, plates and packaging material.
Biodegradation
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When Styrofoam is thrown away, it will gradually break down into smaller and smaller particles. This process can take many years, and the polystyrene particles will never completely break down. The particles will eventually become small enough, however, to blow away through wind and rain and get into the air, which humans and animals will eventually breathe in.
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Recycling
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The only way to truly recycle Styrofoam is to melt it and convert it back to other Styrofoam materials or other plastic or petroleum products. There is no other way to break down Styrofoam for other uses. Not all Styrofoam is recyclable. The triangle containing the number 6 identifies recyclable Styrofoam products. Not all cities accept Styrofoam products for recycling. According to the website "Green Living Tips," only 10 to 12 percent of all polystyrene products placed into a landfill are recycled for future use.
Environmental Impact
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Styrofoam has a large negative impact on the environment once it is placed inside a landfill. Over 25 billion Styrofoam cups are disposed of in landfills each year. High amounts of other Styrofoam products are also thrown away each year. Since Styrofoam cannot biodegrade, the plastic sits in the landfill, slowly leaching chemicals into the earth. Other dangers are also associated with Styrofoam, including cancer and nervous-system diseases.
Potential Future
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A study conducted by a 16-year-old girl, Tseng I-Ching, at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair uncovered a surprising natural degradation for Styrofoam. Mealworm beetles have a bacteria present in their digestive tracts that can break down Styrofoam products. It is possible that these bacteria can be recreated in a lab setting, which may help solve some of the environmental problems that Styrofoam products cause.
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References
- Photo Credit styrofoam business image by robert mobley from Fotolia.com
