Staples High School Cafeteria Styrofoam Removal

We the students and staff of Staples High School in Westport, CT understand the harm(s) of foam and solid polystyrene food service ware to human health and the environment and request that the company CHARTWELLS eliminate its use from the Staples High School Cafeteria, or that the school requires this removal. We ask the company CHARTWELLS to remove all foam and solid polystyrene food service ware in the cafeteria and request the use of recyclable, reusable, and compostable/biodegradable food service ware.

Reasons for this request:


Styrofoam and Polystyrene items are a common environmental pollutant that are non-biodegradable.

Styrofoam is notorious as a pollutant that breaks down into smaller and smaller non-biodegradable pieces that are ingested by marine life and other wildlife thus harming or killing them.

Styrofoam is one of the common items littering our community.

Polystyrene has been proven by the EPA to have serious impacts on human health, wildlife, the aquatic environment and the economy.

Styrene is a known hazardous substance that the FDA suggests may penetrate food and drinks and be ingested by humans.

Styrene is a suspected carcinogen and neurotoxin which potentially threatens human health.

The environmental impacts of manufacturing, using, disposing, energy consumption, greenhouse gas effect, and other environmental effects of Styrofoam and Polystyrene are rated second most harmful in the State of California.

A variety of recyclable, reusable, and compostable/biodegradable food service ware exists that are better for the environment and human health.

Polystyrene, sometimes abbreviated PS, is a polymer made from Stryrene, a liquid hydrocarbon that is commercially manufactured from petroleum by the chemical industry. Petroleum is a non-renewable resource!

Polystyrene is found in your home, office, local grocery and in the cafeteria. It comes in many shapes and forms, from foam egg cartons and meat trays, to soup bowls and salad boxes, from coffee cups and utensils to CD "jewel boxes," and from produce trays to "peanuts" used in packing and the lightweight foam pieces that cushion new appliances and electronics.
Recycling
Currently, the majority of polystyrene products are not recycled because of a lack of suitable recycling facilities. Expanded polystyrene can be used to make park benches, flower pots, and toys. However, polystyrene "recycling" is not a closed loop, producing more polystyrene; polystyrene cups and other packaging materials are instead usually used as fillers in other plastics, or in other items that cannot themselves be recycled and are thrown away.


Thank you for reading this petition and for joining us in protecting wildlife and human life by banning Styrofoam food service ware products in our environment.