It is fairly obvious that Seattle lives in a bit of an eco-friendly bubble. There are compost bins in nearly every business I walk into, and plastic bags aren’t even legal. However, living in this bubble sometimes leads me to forget that you don’t have to go far to find places that don’t have the same concern about harmful materials. The ever-so-popular restaurant chain, Chik-fil-A, is an easy reminder of this. While I myself have never made the journey, it is hard to avoid seeing their takeout boxes. While I have no problem with this restaurant chain in particular, or people just enjoying some fried chicken, my one qualm is this: styrofoam. Banned in Seattle, not to mention in numerous other cities across the country, styrofoam is quite frankly the most disgusting version of plastic-like material I can think of.
For those who may not know, styrofoam is a form of plastic, also known as expanded polystyrene foam. While I do not even know exactly what polystyrene is, I do know that styrofoam does not break down in landfills even over time. At best, it breaks into tiny pieces, which are impossible to completely clean up and properly dispose of. Styrofoam is also often accidentally eat by animals, especially when it is littered and makes its way through storm drains into the ocean. While styrofoam is harmful to animals, it also has questionable qualities that point to possible dangers for humans. Styrofoam contains styrene, a possible human carcinogen (a cancer-causing substance), which I definitely do not want contaminating my food. Another downside of the material is that styrofoam is made using of synthetic chemicals and fossil fuels, which means it takes an excessive amount of nonrenewable energy and resources to produce. Styrofoam cannot even be recycled.
The list goes on and on, but the point is that styrofoam is clearly terrible for the environment, and is simply unnecessary in our society. While plastic in general isn’t great, the least we can do is stop using styrofoam when it is indisputably terrible. Luckily in Seattle, styrofoam is fairly nonexistent, but the next time you find yourself at a Chik-fil-A in Lynnwood, or in a Dunkin Donuts across the country, try not to contribute to to the already excessive amount of styrofoam in the world.
Graphic By: Emma Snavely
