Youth Against Styrofoam A project of the ERF’s Campaign Against the Plastic Plague

Youth Against Styrofoam Goals Eliminate Styrofoam in our personal lives and schools To ban the use of Styrofoam throughout the County of Orange by June 2009 Educate the public about the adverse effects of Styrofoam on the environment, our health and our economy Practice the three “R’s”: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

Why is Styrofoam (Polystryene) harmful to the environment? Petroleum-based Non-sustainable, heavy pollutant Toxic chemical: styrene

Why is Styrofoam harmful to the environment? Polystyrene #2 item found as litter Chokes animals and clogs their digestive systems Disrupts the enjoyment of our beaches

Why is Styrofoam harmful to the environment? non-recyclable (no market) non-compostable and non-biodegradable

Why is Styrofoam harmful to our health? Styrene (toxic chemicals) travels into your food especially when food is hot damage brain tissue Nervous/immune system damage Bio-accumulation (in our fish, in our bodies) Doesn’t practice the precautionary principle

Why is Styrofoam harmful to our economy? The County of Orange spends $350,000 per month on cleaning up litter Killing our fish and wildlife Going into landfills – not recycled into new products

City Ordinances: Santa Monica Bans Expanded-Polystyrene (EPS) and non-recyclable plastic disposable food service containers “undue hardship” clause Violations enforced: - 1st violation: written warning - 2nd violation: $100 fine - 3rd violation: $250 fine Fines are cumulative by day and each violation constitutes a separate fine

City Ordinances: lots of help! Local cities: Santa Monica, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach Josephine Miller, City of Santa Monica (implementation for over 2 years – lots of examples) Staff report from City of Newport Beach Earth Resource Foundation – your one stop shop for everything about plastic and Zero Waste! Newport Beach Restaurant Association strongly supported banning Styrofoam – request 6 months for implementation NOT the standard 1 year

Why use alternatives to Styrofoam… practice Zero Waste: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Buy products made from recycled products- close the loop lower use of non-renewable petroleum – our carbon footprint save money for business save money for government agencies It’s the right thing to do!

What are the Alternatives? Recyclable plastics (#1 and #2) Non-tree products: potato, bagasse, bulrush Recycled paper (recyclable and compostable) Cost a 5 to 10 cents more than Styrofoam Easy for restaurants to have add a fee for customers to take care of the environment!

Remember to use Reusables!! Taco Mesa – throwaways Time to order and stock Time to pay invoices Cost of lots of trashcan liners Cost of hauling trash away Cost of staff time to empty trash Cost of bad Public Relations Cost of employee relations Cost to the environment and our future Wahoo's – reusables Higher quality for customers Save on ordering and stocking Save on trash bills Save on staff time Minimum cost for energy and water efficient dishwasher Good employee relations Excellent public image Reusables vs Styrofoam 2 uses per day [lunch and dinner], serving 6 days/week restaurant would break even in 2.2 weeks by using reusables.

This is a moral issue! Styrofoam is taking its toll on our environment, on our health, and on our economy. Is saving our children worth the extra few cents spent on more environmentally friendly products? You decide…

Be a Leader! Help save our future by leading the way in helping rid our environment of Styrofoam! Ask Irvine City Council to BAN STYROFOAM TODAY! Stephanie Barger, Executive Director Earth Resource Foundation