Episode Summary:  This episode is an excerpt from a past episode on Myths about climate change

Jenn and Inma discuss myth 7, which is a Styrofoam cup or takeout container placed in recycling bins helps the environment. 

It is not true. 

Styrofoam contains mainly air, the fraction of plastic is too small to be recycled

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Listen to the full episode: Myth 7 and 8 about Climate Change

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Featuring Carbon Almanac Contributors Jenn Swanson and Inma Lopez

From Langley in British Columbia, Canada, Jenn is a Minister, Coach, Writer and Community Connector, helping people help themselves.  

Imma is from Cádiz in the South of Spain, living in Aberdeen, Scotland. Imma is a sommelier, a poet, a podcaster, a mother, a slow food advocate, and an animist activist.

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The CarbonSessions Podcast is produced and edited by Leekei Tang, Steve Heatherington and Rob Slater.

Hi, I'm Jen.

Hi, I'm Ima and today we're talking about another myth and that is about

styrofoam, styrofoam containers that it's okay to put them in the recycling bin.

Gosh.

Yeah, that is continuing with our last episode about plastic, but S.

Even worse.

It is, isn't it?

It is.

And, and I found some statistics, therefore, uh, the us, um, which

neither of us live in, but, uh, I'm sure is similar everywhere else.

Um, that apparently Americans throw away about 25.

Now listen to this number 25 billion styrofoam cups every year, just cups.

Nevermind all the other pieces.

Wow.

I just thought my God, 25 billion and styrofoam cups, aren't biodegradable.

They, they don't break down completely over time.

They can't be recycled.

And what they do is they break into tiny little pieces and they stay

in the environment for hundreds, forever and hundreds of years.

Yeah.

We are gonna, gosh, that is so what billions, that is so, so, oh my God.

And that's just one country.

Can you imagine exactly well, and that's one thing that's cups.

Nevermind.

All the other pieces of styrofoam, like packing peanuts and take out containers.

Yeah.

Containers.

Mm-hmm oh gosh.

Mm-hmm . That is so terrible.

So well for, for me, it is a hundred percent clear what the action is about.

for me, I'm not gonna get anything in that in containment that have, that

are made with ster, anything at all.

It's, it's hard when you, if you're ordering things to know how it's packaged.

Although some companies you can look to see what the packing material is.

If you're ordering something online to be.

There are some companies that are going to sustainable packing, like just

crumpled up brown paper that can then be recycled, but it's difficult because it.

This stuff stays in our, our environment.

It causes, uh, all sorts of pollution because it shows up in the, in the

rivers and the oceans and the parks, and it's harmful to the animals

because it's white and fluffy.

So birds and fish sometimes think that it's food.

Yeah.

And then they end up eating it and getting very sick.

Yes.

And we eat the fish and get very sick.

Mm-hmm , it's a, it's a complete cycle.

Uh, I think I read not long ago that it was in states sense.

God, we don't live there.

but American population have, uh, I think it was a 25% of things

made with plastic in their body.

Oh, my goodness.

Yeah.

And that's probably true in other parts of the world as well.

I was kidding.

Yes, of course.

Yeah.

another thing I, I learned about styrofoam is the manufacturing of styrofoam cups.

They've changed it.

they've updated their processes because what the old styrofoam,

the way they manufactured, it used to damage the ozone layer.

Wow.

Because of the way they had to be heated up and molded into the shape

of a cup, cuz it starts off as little beads mm-hmm and the little beads get

filled with air and then they get turned into, they melt them into the shape of.

And they used to use something that it's called a blowing agent.

So it allows the beads to expand and what they used to use would

damage and deplete the ozone layer.

Um, they phased out those ones and they're now using substances that

don't deplete the ozone layer.

So that's a good thing, but I still think that it would be

very important to talk about.

Removing them from the systems and you can go to cardboard, uh, takeout containers.

You can go to paper cups.

You can really push for using recyclable, like not recyclable reusable, reusable.

Yeah, exactly.

I was gonna say that reusable containers.

Yeah.

And compostable cups, there are things that are made out of

corn that will actually compost.

Yep.

And there, there was a restaurant in Hawaii and this was spurred on by a

surfer who, um, who convinced a very popular restaurant in, uh, Hawaii.

To replace all their single used styrofoam cups with compostable

cups and the restaurant agreed.

And this one little tiny decision is estimated to keep about 48,000

styrofoam cups out of Hawaii.

Wow.

Because of one person's lobbying a restaurant to say, can you.

Do something different?

Yes.

Well, here you are.

That is the reaction for today.

Convince your favorite restaurant to use, to use compostable, uh, for

takeaway compostable materials and also to ask if they would allow you

to bring in reusable containers.

Yes, yes, definitely.

So that's a big one.

You.

Bring your own containers and, and save, I mean, for a coffee

it's easy or for a tea it's easy.

You just have to get your, your roof of a cup and refill.

. Right.

Yeah.

And if you're, if you don't know that you're going to suddenly be going for a

coffee, you know, maybe you have an extra one in a bag or in, in your car or in yes.

You know, in your backpack have an extra one that you carry around all

the time and just leave it in your, in what you're packing around with you.

. Yes.

Yes.

I, I definitely signed for.

Yeah.

And also just join forces with you, your family, your friends, your favorite

restaurant to, to get things rolling.

Absolutely.

Take action.

Yes.

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