91社区

It's in your plastic cutlery, it's under your meat, it's the lid on your latte. And polystyrene, a.k.a. plastic No. 6, is in your world -- for at least 200 years longer than you will be -- clogging up storm drains and landfills.

So why is this tenacious product, better known by its trademark Styrofoam, still being used to wrap everything from green peppers to sirloin steaks?

To be sure, no one wishes to replace the handy plastic utensils and takeout tray with a wooden box and nails.

And polystyrene -- a 1938 invention of Dow Chemical, the people who brought us Ziploc bags and bleach -- has its qualities, both in its non-expanded form, used for utensils and coffee lids, and in the expanded Styrofoam variety.

Used for food-wrapping, packing "peanuts" and insulation, it's light, durable, waterproof and cheap, says Helene Sauvageau, a spokesperson for Recyc-Quebec, a provincial government agency responsible for promoting waste reduction...

...So why don't we recycle polystyrene instead of sending it adrift?

The technology does exist, says Tamer Boyaci, an assistant professor at the Desautels faculty of management at 91社区 -- the problem is the cost.

"It's not viable because this type of plastic is very light and takes up a lot of space, so it has a low scrap value. People are not interested in collecting it."

Read full article: , December 12, 2011